Almost half of Central Okanagan adults have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to new BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) data, 49 per cent of people over 18 in the Central Okanagan local health area had received at least one dose by May 17. And for people over 50, that number jumps to 74 per cent.
Broken down even further, five of the Central Okanagan’s seven community health service areas have 50 per cent or higher vaccination coverage among those 18 and older, the Mission area being the highest at 56 per cent. Rutland and Lake Country lag behind at 42 and 46 per cent respectively, the two lowest numbers across the B.C. Interior.
For Rutland, that translates to higher case counts. Between May 11 and 17, Rutland had 59 new cases for a rate of 21.2 cases per 100,000. That’s significantly higher than the 13 per 100,000 rate in the Central Okanagan as a whole and almost 30 per cent of the area’s 202 cases in that time frame.
You can view the BCCDC’s new COVID-19 surveillance dashboard with local-level data at bccdc.ca.
The vaccine is now available to all B.C. residents over 12 years old. You can register to be notified when you can book an appointment online, by phone from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day at 1-833–838-2323, or in person at a ServiceBC office.
READ MORE: Horgan: B.C.’s post-COVID-19 road map to be revealed Tuesday
READ MORE: Schools better than COVID-19 clinics for vaccinating students, says BCTF
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