New pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic opens to the public in Montreal’s downtown

Part of the Quebec government’s latest efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the province, a new temporary clinic, opened to the public in Montreal’s downtown core Thursday.

The new pop-up vaccination clinic on the corner of Saint-Catherine Street and St-Laurent Boulevard is a part of a new vaccination strategy that aims to reach the population still reluctant to receive their first dose.

The clinic will be able to administer close to 75 shots on a daily basis, according to Montreal public health spokesperson Jean-Nicolas Aubé.

Aubé called the clinic a “targeted operation” with the goal of reaching the homeless community in the city, which has been hit hard in recent weeks with outbreaks in a number of shelters.

Aubé adds that while the operation is small, its impact in the community will be largely felt.

“The group we are trying to reach is very specific so the amount of doses is small but even if we vaccinate 10 it’s a victory. If we vaccinate 70 a day it’s a victory. This is not a mass vaccination clinic, this is a very targeted clinic,” Aubé said. 

Junior health minister Lionel Carmant called the initiative a more “positive approach” to persuade people to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Carmant, there are roughly 540,000 Quebecers who have not had a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Health Department plans on opening more pop-up vaccine clinics across the province and on reaching unvaccinated residents through respected leaders and groups in their communities.