The two mobile vaccine buses parked at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal were an air-conditioned reprieve for some travellers heading out to Vancouver Island last Friday.
Folks waiting in line to board the ferry had the opportunity to register under a shaded canopy and hop aboard the brightly-coloured reconnect buses to get their first or second jab all in one go.
The TransLink and Fraser Health initiative partnered up with B.C. Ferries for this particular clinic location, on a day considered one of the busiest for ferry travel.
“Some [mobile vaccine bus] locations where there’s a high turnover of people tend to have some better numbers, but really, we’re glad for any conversations we’re able to have with people. Some just have questions, and so, this gives us the opportunity just to talk to people,” said Sarah Siebert, a director in Fraser Health who managed the clinic that day.
It’s a new way of providing healthcare, explained Siebert, and with that comes challenges that they wouldn’t necessarily face in a more traditional clinic setting.
“I think we’ve learned a lot and been really flexible,” said Siebert.
The weather, for example, is something the team has to account for and did so by providing air conditioning and shaded canopies to register and sit under if space on the bus ran out.
Tina Lovgreen, a spokesperson for TransLink, emphasized how important it is for TransLink to be good community partners in this initiative.
“We’re really proud to be doing our part to help in any way we can … We’re looking at other opportunities to pop by in other places and work with different municipalities where we can, to make it really easy for you to get your vaccine,” said Lovgreen.
A FHA spokesperson said the clinic at the ferry terminal contributed to the more than 15,000 vaccinations that took place in the Fraser Health region on Friday, Aug. 6.
In the coming days, FHA has several neighbourhood and outreach immunization clinics coming up to provide people with additional quick and efficient ways to get immunized.
Visit: fraserhealth.ca/vax for the updated clinic schedule.
