300 Kelowna residents got the AstraZeneca vaccine Sunday at a drop-in clinic in Guisachan Village.
Lakeside Medicine Centre Pharmacy located at 2365 Gordon Drive (Unit 112) announced Thursday evening on Facebook that it would be hosting an impromptu vaccine clinic. The drop in clinic ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was open to anyone born in 1991 or prior.
By 1 p.m., the pharmacy only had 20 vaccines left, thanks to a positive response from the community.
Graham Foster co-owner and pharmacist at Lakeside Medicine Centre Pharmacy said the majority of people who showed up to get their vaccine had already done research on their own and felt confident with receiving AstraZeneca. He added that in B.C., AstraZeneca is the only brand of vaccine that is currently being sent to pharmacies.
“Everything comes down to risk-benefit. We know the AstraZeneca vaccine is associated with blood clots; about 1 to 10 in a million. Statistically, we’re vaccinating a lot of people in B.C., so we will see this happen,” he explained to the Capital News. “What we do know is that if you contract COVID, you’re at a higher risk for blood clots than with any vaccine.”
Foster said that anyone who came with reservations was able to speak to the pharmacists questions directly to learn more and make an educated decision for themselves – but ultimately the choice is up to each individual.
“If you want to wait, that’s totally fine. The risk is the longer you wait, the greater chance you might get COVID, but it is something the patient has to decide for themselves,” he continued.
“It was mostly people within the 30 and 40 age range that came by today. Hopefully we’ll be able to do this again,” he continued.
To find out when Lakeside Medicine Centre Pharmacy is hosting another drop-in vaccination clinic or if any other pharmacies are, Foster recommends checking the pharmacy’s Facebook page or check the Vaccine Hunters website.
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