B.C. sees big jump in vaccination bookings after announcing COVID-19 vaccine passport
Province says largest increase in appointments and registrations is among people under 40
The B.C. government says it's seeing a massive increase in interest in the COVID-19 vaccine since announcing a new program to require proof of vaccination for a wide range of social and recreational activities.
Since Monday, the number of people registering for the vaccination program or booking appointments each day has jumped by as much as 201 per cent compared to a week earlier, according to a statement from the province. The biggest jumps, the government says, have been in people under the age of 40.
Monday is the date when officials announced that proof of vaccination would be required to do things like eating at a restaurant, seeing a movie in the theatre or taking part in a fitness class.
"I am pleased that people are heeding our call to roll up their sleeves to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But there's more work to do, and I encourage everyone to make the best choice to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community — get vaccinated," Health Minister Adrian Dix said in the statement.
The numbers provided by the province show that on Monday, 8,909 people registered for the vaccine program and 7,347 booked appointments, spikes of 175 per cent and 89 per cent, respectively, compared to the previous Monday.
Tuesday saw even bigger increases over the previous week, with 10,175 new registrations and 9,486 bookings, jumping 201 per cent and 124 per cent, respectively.
The province says in the last two days alone, 12,904 people under the age of 40 have registered and 11,301 have booked appointments, more than doubling last week's numbers.