March 25, 2021

Prince Rupert — Over 9 000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to adult residents of Prince Rupert and Port Edward in one of the largest mass vaccination drives in Canada so far. The communities, until recently, have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic with few cases until a significant increase the past three months. An outbreak at Acropolis Manor infected 56 staff and residents, and took the lives of 16. Due to this significant uptick in cases, the province announced that all adults in Prince Rupert and Port Edward would be eligible for vaccination. Nurses from Northern Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control, along with over 400 volunteers, ran a mass vaccination clinic out of the Civic Centre from March 14 to March 21. So far, the vaccination rate is 85%.

“Congratulations Prince Rupert, Port Edward and area! We did a phenomenal Job. We successfully vaccinated the vast majority of eligible adults — Over 9 000 people got the shot. Way to go!” said Jennifer Rice, MLA for North Coast, who volunteered at the clinic.

Northern Health will be establishing a plan to reach residents who were unable to be vaccinated at this time, as well as set up a plan to administer a second dose to members of the community.