Island Health has announced that it will once again be temporarily relocating vaccination appointments scheduled at Eagle Ridge Arena due to high temperatures.
Vancouver Island is expected to be hit by a heat wave over the weekend with temperatures reaching upwards of 35 degrees Celsius in certain areas, according to Environment Canada.
Island Health says that the Eagle Ridge location has faced challenges amid the hot temperatures so the authority has opted to relocate all August 12, 13 and 14 appointments from the Eagle Ridge immunization clinic to the air-conditioned Victoria Conference Centre.
All Eagle Ridge appointments booked on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (August 12-14) will occur at the Victoria Conference Centre, however, appointment dates and times remain the same, only the location will change.
Island Health outlines that everyone affected will be directly contacted and notified.
Anyone who receives a notification instructing them to go to Eagle Ridge on August 12, 13 and 14 should go to the Victoria Conference Centre instead.
“We acknowledge this may be frustrating for some people and we ask for patience and understanding as we move through the effects of this weather event and plan to continue immunizations through the summer,” reads a statement from the health authority. “We also want to acknowledge and thank our staff and volunteers for continuing to adapt during these recent challenges.”
Island Health adds that it plans to actively monitor the conditions across all immunization sites and will notify people of any further heat-related changes.
At this time, everyone age 12 and older are welcome to walk in to any Island Health COVID-19 immunization clinic — other than Eagle Ridge — to receive their first or second dose (28 days after your first).
For a full list of clinics, please visit: https://covid19.islandclinics.ca/
Information and tips on how to stay safe in the heat can be found at islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/environment/heat-safety.
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