Walk-in COVID-19 immunization clinics for 12 to 17 year olds now open in Calgary
The province is making it easier for younger Calgarians to get a COVID-19 vaccine, in an effort to increase immunization rates.
Two walk-in clinics opened Wednesday, at the Telus Convention Centre and Genesis Centre sites for the eligible population ages 12 to 17, and no appointment is needed.
“We know that summer was always going to be a slower time for vaccines as people are going to be doing other things but we will continue to push as much as we can to get those numbers up,” said Alberta health minister Tylers Shandro.
Youth born in 2004 to 2009 are eligible to receive their first dose of Pfizer followed by a second dose at least 28 days later.
According to Alberta Health, 74.8 per cent of eligible Albertans 12 and older have received one dose, as of July 19.
And 60.2 per cent of Albertans age 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
The second dose rate for the youngest eligible Albertans is behind other age groups.
Currently, 62 per cent of 12 to 14 year olds have their first dose, and 39.7 per cent have received their second dose.
A total of 65 per cent of 15 to 19 year olds have one shot and 44.4 per cent of that age group is fully vaccinated.
“We do know that we’re never going to get to 100 per cent. We know from our seasonal flue campaigns that we are doing better than we do typically with vaccinations in Alberta, we’re doing better than other countries are doing,” said Shandro.
Shandro says the province will continue to announce innovative ways to increase first and second doses.
He adds there is obvious vaccine hesitancy but public health officials want to target those who are undecided.
“It’s the folks in the grey area that haven’t had first or second doses yet that I think we can reach out to," he said.
Shandro says the province was focused on speed and volume but now want to make sure that access isn’t an issue for anyone and to educate the public on the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
The walk-in clinics are open from July 21 to July 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The province says those attending the clinics are asked to bring parental consent, which can be downloaded from the Alberta Health Services (AHS) website
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.