A new COVID-19 immunization site, located at TELUS Convention Centre, is opening in Calgary on Monday.
The site is the largest in the province and brings the total number of Alberta Health Services immunization sites in the Calgary zone to 25.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Saturday that he is excited about the partnership between the city and AHS.
“We really look forward to working a lot of people through this facility and getting people that vaccine and that hope,” he said.
“This is a great central location. As you know, the CTrain stops literally at the front door. We are encouraging people to take public transit to come get their vaccination. We are also able to offer free parking for those who would like to park underneath the convention centre,” he said, adding a warning about limited space.
“The idea is to make it easy and safe and pleasant for people as we process an enormous amount of people through this facility.”
Nick Thain with Alberta Health Services said the centre has 120 vaccination stations.
“The convention centre here provides a great opportunity for AHS to right size and expand our vaccination supply and delivery based on the demand and the supply that we’re receiving,” he said.
“For every 10 stations that we are operationalizing, we will be able to vaccinate 500 people in an eight-hour shift. As vaccine supply increases, we’ll increase the number of stations that are open, as well as the hours of availability up to including between 5,000 and 6,000 vaccinations a day.”
‘Mindset of kindness’
Kurby Court, president and CEO of Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, said the goal is to “provide a safe opportunity for vaccinations and to help us get back onto the road to recovery.”
“Most importantly, I invite you all to come with a mindset of kindness. As we launch on Monday, I’m going to wish all of our organizations and partnerships and those superheroes — that come to work with the vaccine that allows us to get back to what the new norm will be, our health-care workers — on behalf of our team, I wish everyone the very best,” he said.
“We just invite you all to be kind, be safe, and we’re going to be healthier together.”
As an estimated 1,100 new COVID-19 cases were announced in Alberta on Saturday, Nenshi said the numbers are moving in the wrong direction rapidly and reminded people to be careful this long weekend.
Every decision you make should be through a public health lens, he said.
“I know it feels like we’re at the end of this, but why would you want to get sick now when we’re so close to the end of it? You don’t want to be the soldier killed on the last day of the war,” Nenshi said.
“I know it’s frustrating to hear me say this, but it is incredibly important to have a little more patience and a little more discipline as we move forward.”
You can book your vaccination online or by calling 811.