By Goat Staff
As of Monday, May 17th, over 55% of those eligible to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine have done so, according to Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry. And, trending along with the province, Valemount, McBride, Mackenzie and Prince George lumped together, are reported to have a similar rate, between 40 and 60% of eligible people vaccinated.
The province’s ‘circuit breaker’ approach, including restrictions on travel, gatherings and indoor dining appear to be having a positive impact and the new daily case count on Monday dropped to 424, down from a high of 1317 on April 9th.
Henry and Premier John Horgan are calling for everyone to register to have their vaccine.
“We’ve made extraordinary progress together over the past few weeks toward everyone getting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine,” said Premier Horgan. “COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down, but this milestone gives us hope of better days ahead. We have to keep going. We need all British Columbians to help make sure as many people as possible get their shots. Register today and talk to your friends, family and neighbours and make sure they’re registered, too.”
Anyone not already registered should register now in one of three ways: 24/7, online: https://gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated. By calling 1 833 838-2323 (between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.) or in person at the nearest Service BC location.
People who do not have a personal health number can register by phone or in person.
The province anticipates another million doses will arrive this month.
Workers in B.C. are eligible for up to three hours of paid leave to get each dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.
Health officials say that B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is the largest and most complex immunization program in the province’s history, with more than 2,162,023 people in B.C. already having received a first dose of vaccine by May 12, 2021. More than 2.5 million people in B.C. have registered since the Get Vaccinated provincial registration and booking system was launched on April 6.
“Vaccines are the light at the end of the tunnel in this pandemic, and that light is growing brighter by the day,” said Henry. “By getting vaccinated when it is your turn and helping others register so they can do the same, we can protect our loved ones, our communities and ourselves from COVID-19.”
Next door in Alberta, the number of new infections has fallen slightly since the province introduced a new set of restrictions to stem the spread. Alberta has also administered about 2 million doses and as of Monday was slightly ahead of BC on the per cent of its population vaccinated.
