Guelph’s West End Community Centre is now housing the city’s third COVID-19 vaccine clinic as vaccinations are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
Media were invited on Tuesday to have a look at the facility, which is replacing the one at Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health’s head office on Chancellor’s Way.
One end of the thawed-out rink has 20 tables for vaccinations, while the other end has chairs for people to sit down for a few minutes following the shot.
Public health officials say the clinic can vaccinate about 400 people per day but can also expand to the other ice rink next door once they receive more vaccinations from drug companies.
“That’s the beauty of these municipal facilities with two pads of ice that can be scaled up,” said Chris Beveridge with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.
“This side can be completely filled with vaccinators and this side, once the ice is out, can be filled with people recovering.”
The city said any programs that use the rinks have been moved to other community centres in the city.
But Beveridge said there is no need to scale up right now with only three to five thousand doses being received each week.
There are also two other clinics in Guelph, at the University of Guelph and the Skyjack building on Woodlawn Road, along with mobile clinics and clinics in Wellington and Dufferin counties. Some physicians in Guelph have also received AstraZeneca vaccines.
Public health aims to vaccinate well over 10,000 people per day throughout its jurisdiction but it’s just a matter of getting more vaccines.
“Over the spring and summer that’s when we’re going to start to see those bigger numbers in shipments,” said public health spokesperson Danny Williamson.
“That’s the thing we’re all hoping for, is for us to get the call that says, ‘It’s not 3,500 doses next week but 35,000.’ That’s the problem we want to be solving.”
The clinic is staffed by nurses, including some who have come out of retirement to vaccinate. There are also students and office workers helping out with check-ins.
The clinic needs about 20 nurses and 20 volunteers and other staff to run the vaccination clinic.
Anyone who is eligible under Phase 2 of the province’s vaccine rollout plan, such as teachers and anyone over the age of 60, can pre-register for an appointment on public health’s website.
Public health said a good chunk of Phase 1 has already been vaccinated with a goal of having 75 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated by June.
As of Wednesday morning, WDG Public Health has administered 29,679 vaccines.
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