Community vaccination clinics are on their way to the West Coast.

Island Health has announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to all Tofino and Ucluelet residents 18 years of age or older beginning on April 12 and appointments can be booked by calling 1-833-348-4787.

“Everyone’s been looking for this day to come and getting the vaccine in our arms and getting the community done all at once is a positive for us,” Ucluelet mayor Mayco Noel told the Westerly News. “I’m very happy to see that Island Health has made Ucluelet and the region a top priority for community vaccination. We are a remote community and we’re very vulnerable because we’re a very popular tourist destination.”

Tofino mayor Dan Law told the Westerly that vaccinating the communities all at once is the right decision.

“We’re just so remote and we don’t have the services. We’re such a small community that any outbreak or impact from COVID is going to be huge,” he said.

“Realistically everybody can get vaccinated within a fairly short window so, not only is it great for our community, it makes sense logistically from an Island Health standpoint.”

Law noted tourists have already started filling both Tofino and Ucluelet over spring break and the Easter long weekend and he believes getting the communities vaccinated should lead to locals feeling “a lot less stressed.”

“Our community is stressed out. Nobody wants to get sick. Nobody wants to put their neighbours and their fellow community members at risk,” he said. “Once we’re all vaccinated that pressure’s going to go away, or at least be dramatically decreased.”

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Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News