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MP Motz not concerned by urban-rural divide on vaccination rates

Jun 16, 2021 | 5:05 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – 3.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Alberta.

According to a tweet from Jason Kenney Wednesday afternoon, 69.5 per cent of the 12 and up population has received at least one dose.

In southern Alberta, and across the province, there’s a difference in the urban and rural vaccination rates.

According to numbers updated as of June 14, 56.6 per cent of Medicine Hat residents have received at least one dose.

Cypress County has 46.7 per cent, the County of 40 Mile has 27.7 per cent, and the County of Warner has 42.4 per cent of people who have received one dose.

Provincial and federal governments have been encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz respects people and the decisions they make.

And says the choice to get a vaccine is an individual one.

“I think that’s exactly where it needs to stay. And in fairness, the spring work on farms and ranches in 40 Mile, Cypress County, and other places of rural Alberta, and in my riding, they’re busy,” he added. “And whether they’ve had an opportunity yet or they choose to make the time for it just yet that hasn’t happened. So I’m not concerned about the numbers as being reflective on anything. I’m not reading anything into it, I think some people who have too much time on their hands want to read into some of those percentages.”

MP Motz has a virtual town hall with constituents tonight June 16 at 7 p.m.

He says space is limited and it’s almost full.

Meantime, Motz speculates a federal election will be called in August and anticipates an early fall election.

Motz says their team locally is planning for it and are ready, and adds he will run again.

READ MORE: South Zone drops below 100 active COVID-19 cases; 25 in Medicine Hat