As of 5 a.m. Thursday, people lined up at the Palais des congrès de Montréal to take advantage of the walk-in vaccination offer against COVID-19.
To entice the younger age groups to get the shot, the regional health authority announced walk-in vaccinations would be available to all those aged 25 years and over.
Within the first hour of registration, 500 people were already signed up to receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, said Jean-Nicolas Aubé CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal spokesperson.
Aubé says of the 3,500 daily vaccines administered at Palais des congrès, depending on supply, some 500 doses will be set aside for walk-in appointments only.
As of Friday, access to the walk-in clinic, as well as appointment booking, will be extended to those aged 18 and over.
With the initial reaction Aubé said he expects to see the daily quota met with ease.
“We are very pleased with the reaction people have to this option,” he said.
Only Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will be available. Quebec announced Thursday it was suspending the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for a first dose.
With files from Canadian Press