A drop-in vaccination clinic in Crossfield is offering no-appointment immunizations this week.
According to an Alberta Health Services (AHS) press release, those born in 2009 or earlier who have not had a first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine have the opportunity to do so by visiting the Crossfield and District Community Centre on July 27.
The clinic will be open from 4 to 8 p.m., and there will be 300 doses of the Moderna vaccine at each clinic.
The announcement comes after AHS held a similar clinic in Crossfield at the end of June, where the same number of doses were offered to people who had not yet been vaccinated.
When it comes to vaccination percentages, the region that includes Crossfield, Beiseker and Irricana has lagged below provincial figures. As of July 20, about 61.9 per cent of eligible residents in the region were vaccinated with at least one dose, compared to a provincial rate of 74.9 per cent. Residents aged 20 to 39 have a vaccination rate of just 46.8 per cent in north Rocky View County.
Pharmacists in the north Rocky View County area have previously speculated the low turnout for jabs could be due to various factors, such as vaccine hesitancy, the busy farming period and a short supply of available doses.
For those planning to attend the Crossfield clinic, AHS reminds people to bring an Alberta Health Care card and photo ID.
“You will be required to wear a face mask and use hand sanitizer when attending the site for your immunization,” the release stated.
Anyone experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 are told to stay home and arrange for COVID-19 testing through ahs.ca or by calling 811.
Currently, there are no active COVID-19 statistics available for Crossfield. Provincially, 649 active cases of the virus remain in Alberta. Eighty-one new cases were reported on July 20.
Alberta recently surpassed a milestone of 5 million vaccination doses being distributed. As of July 20, 5,100,111 COVID-19 vaccination doses had been administered in the province. According to Alberta Health figures, 74.9 per cent of Albertans 12 and older have had at least one dose of a vaccine, while Alberta’s fully immunized percentage had reached 60.7 per cent of eligible residents, as of the same date.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
