Volunteers at mobile vaccination clinics, like the one at Gord Downie Pier on Monday, are ensuring that anyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine is able to get it.
“So, we’ve got really good vaccine penetration here in the KFL&A area, but we do know that there are still some people missing,” says Dr. Elaine Ma.
Monday marks the last day that you can receive a first dose of the COVID vaccine and still be fully vaccinated in time for the upcoming school year, but there will still be plenty of opportunities to get vaccinated in the coming weeks.
“There are going to be quite a few more mobile vaccine clinics. As well, Beechgrove will be remaining open as a mass immunization clinic,” says Dr. Ma.
For mass immunization clinics at the INVISTA Centre and Strathcona Paper Centre, today marks the last day of operation.
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As of July 30, 71.1 per cent of those 12 and over have received both COVID-19 vaccine doses in the KFL&A region. Dr. Ma says that the goal is 90 per cent of the population at two doses.
For beachgoers, the mobile clinic means that they’re able to get more than just a tan on their day trip.
Andrew Rae, a summer student and worker, was excited to get his second dose.
“Just coming to the beach to play some spike ball and jump in the water and then we saw some people with vaccines and we thought, ‘This is perfect.’ Super easy,” he says.
Queen’s student Dennis Vidovic says that his second dose makes him excited for heading back to class at Queen’s University in the fall.
“It was about five minutes long, you know, just sit down on a bench, get a little poke, didn’t hurt at all. Feeling great now, excited to go and hang out on the beach for a bit,” says Vidovic.
Dr. Ma says that continuing to get Kingstonians vaccinated is the way to move forward.
“We all want normalcy for our kids, and the only way to get there is to reach those herd immunity numbers, so that our kids can go back, we don’t have to do home schooling with them and we can just get back to the life that we really want for our kids.”
Ma is encouraging everyone to do their part to ensure a safe and successful start to the school season.
If you still need your COVID-19 vaccination, Ma suggests going to the KFL&A Public Health website for the most up-to-date information.
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