4 more vaccine clinics coming to Surrey this week

Four more pop-up vaccine clinics will be coming to Surrey this week as B.C. continues to ramp up its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The province said in a statement that the clinics, set to provide 4,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, are a partnership with the Fraser Health authority and the City of Surrey to ensure people in the community have access to the vaccine.

The clinics will take place at the following dates and locations:

• Bear Creek Park, May 17 and 18 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or until 1,000 doses have been administered).

• Surrey Sport and Leisure, May 22 and 23, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or until 1,000 doses have been administered).

Pop-up clinics in the Fraser Health region have previously been a source of frustration after people waited in line for hours and were turned away when the clinics ran out of doses. Clinics have also been criticized as inequitable for not targeting those living in high-risk communities after people from different neighbourhoods attended the clinics to get inoculated.

The province said at the new clinics, the first 1,000 people in line will be given a wristband guaranteeing them a vaccine. It said personnel at the clinics will also be verifying identification to ensure the doses are going to people currently living in Surrey.

As of this weekend, everyone in B.C. aged 18 and above is eligible to book an appointment to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine through the province's age-based rollout system.