Province working to boost vaccination rates, as Interior Health region records 234 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours

VICTORIA — The BC Government says vaccination rates in the province received a boost this week, thanks to the ‘Walk-in Wednesday’ program.

In a news release today (Aug. 5), the province says more than 33,000 residents showed up to clinics around B.C and got vaccinated during the inaugural event. Of these shots, 16,505 were walk-ins, and the rest were scheduled appointments.

‘Walk-in Wednesday’ was organized in response to a slow-down in immunization rates in B.C. and a rise in cases in unvaccinated residents. As of Thursday, (Aug. 5) 81.7 per cent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose and 68.4 per cent have received their second dose.

Meanwhile, the province is reporting 402 new cases of COVID-19 today, with 2,066 active cases around B.C. Of those, 234 new cases were recorded in the Interior Health region, which currently has 1,121 active cases.

Province-wide, 58 people are hospitalized as a result of the virus, and 21 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,772.