A clinic on wheels: Mobile vaccination service launches in Alberta

For rural Albertans having trouble getting their COVID-19 vaccine, a new mobile clinic may be the answer.

Alberta Health has partnered with a coalition of businesses to launch a clinic that will administer first and second doses of the vaccine atremote work camps, rural communities and hard-to-reach populations.

Organizers say the clinic on wheels is the result of months of collaboration between Alberta Health and the Industry for Vaccination Alberta Coalition, a group of more than 40 businesses.

"Alberta's private sector has always supported our efforts to get as many Albertans vaccinated as possible," Health Minister Tyler Shandro said in a news release.

"They understand the value of getting our population protected so we can get back to our lives, our work, and past the pandemic."

Immunizations start next week in the Banff and Kananaskis area asthe clinic begins its tour of the province.

The bus, which will be staffed by six immunizers andmedical support staff, is one of a handful in Canada.

It's expected that nurses willbe able to administer 300 doses a day.

"There is a role for business, working together with government, to help make life better for Albertans so that we can see loved ones again and begin to rebuild," said Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta.

The tour, which is expected to last two months, is still being developed. Requests to bring the clinic to a site can be made atbusinesscouncilab.com/vaccinations/.