VICTORIA — Four extra vaccination clinics have been set up in Surrey, B.C., this week to ramp up immunizations in a COVID-19 hot spot with a high number of essential workers.
The first 1,000 people to show up will be given wristbands for same-day appointments at the clinics, and residents must present identification proving they live in Surrey, the Health Ministry said in a release.
Everyone in B.C. aged 18 and up can now book an appointment to get immunized as part of the province's age-based approach.
Cases have steadily declined across B.C. this month, but an independent COVID-19 modelling group said continuing restrictions such as a ban on indoor dining until June 15 would keep case counts low, while reopening too soon could risk a surge.
Resuming activities on May 25 would also mean hospitalizations will not have dropped to a point of making a big enough difference for the health-care system, said the group of researchers from the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria, in its latest report.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has suggested restrictions imposed on March 30 could be eased in the coming weeks as more people get vaccinated.
Sarah Otto, a professor at the University of B.C., and a member of the modelling group, said behaviour changes such as a ban on indoor dining and social gatherings inside were probably the two most important factors in driving down cases.
However, an uptick in vaccinations last month helped lower transmission of the virus in areas like Whistler before more widespread immunizations elsewhere in mid-April, leading to fewer cases two weeks later as immunity developed, she said.
"We're now seeing vaccines make a big difference and it is causing the case numbers to decline even faster," she said.
A gradual resumption of activities may need to start with a return to low-risk activities. That could mean indoor gatherings of up to six people who are in the same so-called bubble before indoor dining with the windows open could resume, though outdoor dining would still be safer, Otto said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021.
The Canadian Press
