Select schools in London, Ont., and Middlesex County will play host to pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinics starting next week.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) says the clinics launch on Monday and will provide first doses to those who haven’t been able to attend one of the local mass vaccination clinics.
Each of the one-day clinics will operate from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with the capacity to vaccinate about 350 people. Appointments are being scheduled for the clinics, but some walk-in vaccinations will also be available.
“We have 10 schools scheduled over the two-week period after June 21,” said medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie.
“We certainly will watch closely what happens with those clinics. We’re planning to have a mobile team in the field all summer, they will stay longer, add staff and/or add additional appointments if we really see a lot of demand at those schools.”
The health unit is contacting families in those schools first to ensure they have a chance to book a shot.
Mackie says the school selection process is a data-driven one where populations are targeted based on high COVID rates and/or low vaccination rates.
“There is a fairly strong correlation between communities that have low vaccination rates and high COVID uptake over the whole duration of a pandemic,” Mackie said.
“That’s because those communities have various risk factors, whether it’s a lot of people who can’t work from home or some unstable socioeconomic issues that make it more difficult to get into vaccination clinics or not as much vehicle access.”
Appointments are now open for families that belong to the 10 schools receiving pop-up clinics.
The MLHU says appointments will open to the rest of the community starting at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Once the public appointments open up, they’ll be bookable through the health unit’s vaccine booking website or over the phone at 226-289-3560.
A full list of schools can be found below, along with when the pop-up clinic will take place. Each clinic will operate from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Monday, June 21: Sir Arthur Carty Catholic Elementary School, London;
- Tuesday, June 22: John Paul II Catholic Secondary School, London;
- Wednesday, June 23: Westminster Secondary School, London;
- Thursday, June 24: Clarke Road Secondary School, London;
- Friday, June 25: North Middlesex District High School, Parkhill;
- Tuesday, June 29: Montcalm Secondary School, London;
- Wednesday, June 30: Sir Fredrick Banting Secondary School, London;
- Monday, July 5: Glencoe District High School, Glencoe;
- Tuesday, July 6: Strathroy District Collegiate Institute, Strathroy.