A COVID-19 immunization centre opened at the Town of Newmarket, Ont.,’s Ray Twinney Recreational Complex last week.
The facility, which is operated by Southlake Regional Health Centre in partnership with York Region and the Town of Newmarket, can vaccinate 1,000 people per day and has the potential capacity to expand its operations in the weeks and months ahead.
Southlake has been immunizing staff and designated long-term care home workers since Dec. 23. The hospital also began vaccinating hospital staff last week, including those who work at Markham Stouffville and Stevenson Memorial hospitals.
Southlake says inoculating hospital staff and those in the long-term care sector will continue to be the immunization centre’s near term focus.
“I think it is critical to support the expansion of COVID-19 vaccinations in our community and it is great to see town staff mobilize so quickly to prepare space for this vaccination centre,” Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said in a statement.
“The Ray Twinney Recreation Complex offers an ideal location to grow the vaccination clinic, first to protect more frontline workers and in the coming months to offer vaccines to protect you and your family.”
Once long-term care and hospital staff have been immunized, the vaccine clinic will start to focus on health-care workers in community settings and other first responders, as per Ontario’s guidelines. After these groups are vaccinated, public health will lead mass community clinics with the help of Southlake, primary care and other providers.
“Doing our part to ensure this is the largest vaccination campaign this country has ever seen means that Southlake can return to normal business as soon as possible,” said Southlake president and CEO Arden Krystal in a statement.
“The more people we vaccinate, the faster we’ll be able to get back to the surgeries we’ve had to postpone as a result of caring for the surging numbers (of) patients with COVID-19.”
The immunization centre at Newmarket’s recreation facility isn’t vaccinating the general public at this time.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said mass vaccination won’t take place until the spring or summer. Previously, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said most Canadians should be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus by September.
— with files from Global News’ Rachael D’Amore and The Canadian Press