Community wide vaccination clinics have returned to the West Coast as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year.
Island Health hosted clinics at the Ucluelet Community Centre from Jan. 11-15 and will now head to the Tofino Community Hall for clinics running from Jan. 18-21.
The clinics offer first doses for children aged 5-11, first and second doses for anyone 12 and over and booster shots for adults over 18 who received their second vaccine at least six months prior.
Appointments are required and anyone wanting to book one can register through www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca or
Tofino mayor Dan Law opened the district’s first council meeting of the year on Jan. 11 noting that council has not yet returned to their traditional chambers at the municipal hall and continues to conduct their business via Zoom.
“Welcome back to your screens. I was so hoping that we’d all get to meet, but here we are in the third year of the pandemic and Omicron is sweeping through our communities and, as a result, we are still doing Zoom,” he said. “It was our second holiday and Christmas season where we had to deal with all sorts of interesting restrictions and I know that’s impacting people and the tendency is that we can start to get a little down and frustrated.”
He added that he feels grateful to be living in Tofino.
“I’m thankful that the vaccines are working to decrease the severity of the disease and certainly the mortality. We are exceptionally fortunate that we are here and it’s a good time to remember that there are people in places in the world that are not so fortunate,” he said. “The difference is often government and how governments care for people, not only their own people, but how governments can care for people outside of their communities and their countries. When I look around at everybody in the room here I feel doubly fortunate to be part of this community, to have such excellent staff and a truly excellent council…Moving into 2022, I’m thankful to see your faces and know that you have exceptional abilities and talents and care for our community and communities at large.”
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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