Thursday July 29, 2021 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated at 1:30 pm & 3:15 pm on July 30, 2021 | Updated with immunization stats on July 31, 2021]
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Editor | Island Social Trends
- NOTE: Same relocation of appointments from Eagle Ridge to Victoria Conference Centre applies to July 31 and August 1 (as well as July 30). The Island Health mass immunization clinics operate their usual days and hours throughout holiday weekends.
- Typically, more than 750 people are immunized each day at Eagle Ridge. Everyone with an appointment on July 30 was notified of the location change one day before, and everyone with an appointment July 31 and August 1 were being notified on July 30, says Island Health.
Due to the challenges faced at the Eagle Ridge Arena during the June heat wave, and the forecast heat this weekend, Island Health is relocating all appointments from the Eagle Ridge immunization clinic to the air-conditioned Victoria Conference Centre on Friday, July 30.
All appointments booked on July 30 will occur at the Victoria Conference Centre, located in the Victoria downtown core at 720 Douglas Street. Appointment dates and times remain the same, only the location will change.
Everyone affected will be directly contacted and notified, says Island Health. “Anyone who receives a notification instructing them to go to Eagle Ridge on July 30 should go to the Victoria Conference Centre instead. We are actively monitoring the conditions across our sites and will notify people of any further heat-related changes,” it was stated in a news release.
Local mobile option:
On Friday evening, July 30, Island Health’s mobile Vax Van (a custom mobile COVID-19 immunization clinic) will be available from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at Starlight Stadium at 1089 Langford Parkway in Langford during the Pacific FC home team game.
Weather event impacts:
“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,” it was stated in the news release. “We also want to acknowledge and thank our staff and volunteers for continuing to adapt during these recent challenges.”
Fans were added:
After the extreme heat experienced on south Vancouver Island June 25 to 29 — under conditions of a first-ever heat dome — fans were added the Eagle Ridge Arena in Langford.
The resultant effect was still not as effective as air conditioning. The noise level was also an imposition on workers and visitors to the clinic. In mid-July Island Health said that fans would be turned off regarding the noise consideration, as possible when not required to mitigate the heat.
Municipal building ventilation:
Many public buildings (and residential buildings for that matter) in the south Vancouver Island area are not equipped with centralized air conditioning, due to the usual moderate weather in this region.
Lack of sufficient cooling and ventilation led to at least 580 deaths (mostly in Vancouver urban areas) during the heat dome at the end of June, as made known by the BC Coroners Service. Most of those people were seniors, who were unprepared for the heat stress and were living in under-ventilated housing conditions, alone.
Last week Sarah Henderson, Scientific Director in Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BC CDC), said in a media session that BC CDC has developed resources for municipalities – particularly around heat and some around smoke. “We do highly encourage the regional health authorities to work with the municipalities to enact those plans. Unfortunately some of these things take quite a lot of planning and can take quite a lot of time.”
“What we hope, is that as we move into the future we are going to have better and better plans for these types of events,” said Henderson regarding advisories about heat and smoke.
Health alerts & tips:
The BC Government is starting to roll out more messaging about the dangers of heat, including earlier today by Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry. BC’s top doctor said that staying cool is the primary concern during heat waves, followed by concerns about breathing smoky air from wildfires. Also, make sensible choices about wearing a mask for COVID-19 protection (if you’re in danger of over-heating, the mask will make it more difficult to oxygenate your blood, so take it off).
Tips from Dr Henry: People will need to figure out how to manage windows (cover them during the day to keep out sunshine, and keep them closed until the air outside is cooler than the air inside), and to use other tips to stay cool (wet cloths, T-shirt or even a damp sheet when sleeping).
Island Health says “the health and safety of our clients, staff and volunteers is a top priority for Island Health”. The local health authority has posted health alerts online at islandhealth.ca/health-alerts
Heat safety tips:
Information and tips on how to stay safe in the heat can be found at islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/environment/heat-safety.
===== RELATED (articles by Island Social Trends):
Vax Van at Pacific FC home game in Langford July 30 (July 29, 2021)
Greater Victoria weather alert: high temperatures July 27 to 31 (July 26, 2021)
A hot summer weekend BC wildfire update, including BC CDC comments on municipal air conditioning (July 24, 2021)
Smoky air is a health hazard, but heat trumps that (July 24, 2021)
Protecting yourself from wildfire smoke & heat (July 6, 2021)
BC & Island Health vaccination profile at July 2 (July 3, 2021)
Summer health hazards: heat wave & wildfire smoke (July 3, 2021)
LANGFORD: Eagle Ridge June 28 COVID immunization appointments being rebooked (June 27, 2021)
Island Health on municipal building standards: helping people adapt during extreme heat (June 27, 2021)
