The Middlesex-London Health Unit’s mass vaccination clinic at the Western Fair District in London, Ont., will administer its last dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 16.
The health unit will continue to accept walk-ins or appointments at the clinic right up until it closes. Afterward, people will still be able to access vaccines through select pharmacies and local health-care providers.
“It is important to remember that the fight against COVID-19 and vaccination efforts in our community continue,” said medical officer of health, Dr. Alex Summers.
Health unit data released earlier this week shows COVID-19 activity in the region remains “high,” though hospital admissions are stable. There are ten active institutional outbreaks, mostly in retirement or long-term care homes, and one at Victoria Hospital, on C6-300 SAMU.
Respiratory illness season is well underway and updated COVID-19 vaccines and the latest flu shots have been available in Ontario since the end of October.
With the upcoming closure of the mass vaccination clinic, Summers is also hailing the efforts of staff and volunteers.
“The closure of the clinic is not just the end of a chapter but a testament to the resilience and strength of our community in the face of unprecedented challenges. The countless hours of hard work, compassion, and commitment exhibited by everyone has been instrumental in achieving our shared goal of promoting and protecting the health of our community.”
Over 150 staff from ten partnership organizations, 100 physicians and 400 health unit staff all contributed “to the most historic vaccination effort in the 21st century,” says the health unit.
The clinic, in partnership with the London Health Sciences Centre, first opened at the Western Fair District’s Agriplex in December 2020 before relocating to the district’s main building in October 2022. In total, it operated for 518 clinic days and provided 235,407 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the health unit says.
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