Health officials in one Canadian province have found a way to get people vaccinated for COVID-19.
On Thursday, Quebec health officials announced those wanting to buy alcohol or cannabis from government-owned stores would be required to be vaccinated.
In the press release, residents would be required to present a vaccine passport to enter Société des alcools du Québec and the Société québécoise du cannabis stores beginning Jan. 18.
News of the new requirement comes after the province has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“We are aware that all the sacrifices asked of Quebeckers are not easy, but they are necessary, and I thank the population for their collaboration," said Christian Dubé, Minister of Health and Social Services, in the news release. "We must do everything to limit the impact on our staff and our very fragile health system. We must therefore reduce the number of cases and limit hospitalizations as much as possible. I am counting on all of you to be extremely vigilant over the next few weeks, and to protect yourself from the booster dose as soon as it becomes available. "
On Friday, Dubé retweeted a La Presse article by adding that vaccine appointments for the first dose have quadrupled, going from 1,500 per day to 6,000.