Residents in northeast Calgary will soon be able to get their COVID-19 vaccine via a drive-thru service.
The government of Alberta announced the mass vaccination site Thursday morning, saying the location will be confirmed next week and begin operations in early June.
The drive-thru shots come days after the Calgary Emergency Management Agency raised alarms about disparities in the city’s vaccination rates above and below 50 per cent between west and east Calgary, with Deerfoot Trail marking a near-perfect boundary.
The province’s vaccination map shows the city’s upper northeast local geographic area and lower northeast area at 42.5 and 43.7 per cent, respectively.
A trio of other local geographic areas in Calgary have surpassed 60 per cent.
According to Health Minister Tyler Shandro, the provincial vaccination rate sits at an average of nearly 60 per cent.
“We need to keep up the momentum by trying new approaches and working with new partners to increase access for people in northeast Calgary and any other community where there are challenges,” Shandro said in a statement.
Alberta’s “Open for Summer” reopening plan hinges on provincial vaccination rates.
“Everyone deserves their chance to get the vaccine barrier-free,” Anila Umar Lee Yuen, president and CEO of the Centre for Newcomers, said in a statement.
“Social services agencies, community groups, faith-based groups, AHS and government have worked together tirelessly to ensure we work collaboratively, share information, identify opportunities to increase access to vaccination and help guide the community through the pandemic.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the drive-thru clinic will help meet the need in the northeast.
“There is a big opportunity for us to increase temporary clinics and drop-in style clinics, not just in east Calgary, but throughout the city to really attack that access issue,” Nenshi said.
The mayor also said making an appointment to receive a shot doesn’t work for all citizens.
“We need to get out to folks and the idea of drive-thru clinics or have clinics in pop up places where people are taking transit and in workplaces will be very important.”
On Tuesday, CEMA Chief Sue Henry said the city has been advocating for more granular demographic data on vaccinations, to help buttress vaccine uptake with cultural- and language-appropriate communications.
Data of vaccinated individuals based on income levels or ethnicity isn’t currently available, an Alberta Health spokesperson told Global News.
“As seen in the vaccine map released last week, we are continually expanding the information we provide Albertans, and will keep doing so in the future,” an emailed statement said.
The Genesis Centre and an AHS vaccination site at Northgate Village Mall have administered more than 71,000 doses since opening in early March, the province said.
Henry said vaccine appointments at the Genesis Centre have been booked up “for the foreseeable future.”
Ward 5 Coun. George Chahal also said many east Calgary residents have had problems getting to the Genesis Centre.
“And from what I’ve been hearing, people want to get vaccinated, but it’s… barriers to accessibility,” Chahal said Tuesday.
Nenshi noted that there will be a vaccine strategy around the Calgary Stampede, to help get shots in arms.
“There’s a lot of (irons) in the fire right now,” Nenshi said. “For the next couple of weeks, I want anyone who wants that dose to be able to get it quickly, efficiently and safely.”
Previously, AHS extended hours for vaccinations during Ramadan and held community-specific clinics.
Vaccinations are also available at pharmacies and select physician offices.
–with files from Lauren Pullen, Global News