sarah otto, a ubc epidemiologist, said the high rate of covid cases and lower vaccination rates in northwest surrey is an indication that “we’re not vaccinating fast enough in the places that are hardest hit.”
horgan is talking this week to lower mainland mayors, youth, staff at non-profit agencies, religious leaders, business owners and social media influencers, hoping for guidance on how to make vaccine delivery as accessible as possible, especially in covid-19 hot spots.
kulpreet singh, founder of the surrey-based south asian mental health alliance, took part in a conference call with horgan on monday morning along with other south asian community advocates and medical professionals.
“it was very encouraging,” he said. “the premier seemed to be genuinely looking for input and guidance on what could be improved on the way the vaccine rollout is being managed.”
the group suggested that health authorities set up vaccine clinics at family doctors’ offices, religious schools, places of worship and other “low-barrier” community access points, singh said. the province could also simplify the registration website so that people can register and book their appointment at the same time, he said. community advocates would also like to see better language interpretation and translation of official government websites, social media posts and press conferences, singh said.