After administering more than 94,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines Southwestern Public Health has announced plans to scale down its St. Thomas mass immunization clinic as demand drops.
Six months after it first opened, the COVID-19 Mass Immunization Clinic in St. Thomas will administer its final vaccines at the Memorial Arena on Sept. 10 and moved to the health unit’s 1230 Talbot St. location.
A statement from the health unit said the move to a smaller location signals the success of the region’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
“This milestone – the scaling back of our St. Thomas Mass Immunization Clinics – is a shared success of our community,” says Jaime Fletcher, program manager overseeing the COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force.
“This success also belongs to the community members who rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated when their turn came. You were a part of this life-saving effort.”
Since the health unit first started rolling out vaccines, more than 80 per cent of eligible residents in St. Thomas have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
With so many people being vaccinated, Fletcher said the health unit no longer requires the large arena to administer shots.
“We are now switching to a mobile approach and micro-targeting where we can bring the vaccines to people in their own areas.”
- Life in the forest: How Stanley Park’s longest resident survived a changing landscape
- ‘They knew’: Victims of sexual abuse by Ontario youth leader sue Anglican Church
- Carbon rebate labelling in bank deposits fuelling confusion, minister says
- Buzz kill? Gen Z less interested in coffee than older Canadians, survey shows
A full list of where and when the mobile clinics will be is available on the health unit’s website.
Once the mass clinic closes, the 1230 Talbot St. location will serve both walk-ins and those with appointments looking for either first or second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Appointments are also available online. The new hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Any remaining first or second doses scheduled at Memorial in September or October will be rescheduled to Talbot Street.
The health unit said Oxford County residents should anticipate a similar reduction in the size of the Woodstock clinic, however, the location currently remains unchanged.
The Tillsonburg Mass Immunization Clinic is scheduled to close end of the day Friday, Aug. 27.
Comments