City of Toronto officials say nine COVID-19 immunization clinics will be opened as part of the municipal vaccination plan.
“We are close to putting COVID-19 behind us, I truly believe that, but a big factor in that will be the vaccine and the vaccination process,” said Mayor John Tory at a press conference on Wednesday.
The first clinic, which was opened at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and closed shortly after due to short supply of vaccines, was established as a “proof-of-concept clinic.”
For the few days it was open, it provided first doses to City of Toronto staff or those working for agencies that work in frontline shelters, including harm-reduction and Streets to Homes staff.
It will be reopened for those who need their second dose of the vaccine on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16.
Second doses are also being provided at all long-term care homes in the city and should be completed by the end of next week, Tory said.
There is no date set as to when the clinics will be open, but Tory said they will be ready for whenever they are given the green light to provide vaccine doses.
The other eight clinics were “strategically” chosen by City officials and will be at the following locations:
- Cloverdale Mall
- Toronto Congress Centre
- The Hangar
- North Toronto Memorial Community Centre
- Carmine Stefano Community Centre
- Mitchell Field Community Centre
- Scarborough Town Centre
- Malvern Community Recreation Centre
Each site will be able to administer up 120,000 vaccines a week, depending on supply, City officials said. The clinics, Tory said, are just part of the overall vaccination delivery system in Toronto, which also includes family doctors, pharmacies and hospitals.
The mayor said mobile clinics will also be deployed to vulnerable populations, such as those experiencing homelessness and those living in the shelter system.
Tory reiterated which level of government is responsible for what aspect of the vaccination rollout: The Government of Canada is responsible for obtaining the supply, while the Ontario government is responsible for distributing the vaccines and the registration system.
He said it is up to the City of Toronto and Toronto Public Health to support the province’s plan, which is currently in the first of three phases. Vaccines for the general public will be made available in the third phase.
“We know there are a lot of mixed feelings about vaccination and we want to do everything possible to make all residents feel confident about getting vaccinated and the experience itself.”
The only vaccines currently approved in Canada are Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and both require two shots.
“Getting vaccinated is the right thing to do,” Tory said.
As of 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the province has administered 412,119 COVID-19 vaccine doses, representing an increase of 13,486 in the last day. There are 125,725 people fully vaccinated with two doses.
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