A new program, with the same goal as always: to win the race against COVID-19 and the variants.
Posted Apr 22, 2021, 05:28AM EDT
A new program, with the same goal as always: to win the race against COVID-19 and the variants.
The City of Toronto is ramping up its efforts to get more residents living in hotspot communities vaccinated at a quicker pace, introducing a new mobile vaccination strategy with an aim to triple the amount of vaccine in those neighbourhoods.
At today’s COVID-19 briefing, Toronto mayor John Tory and medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa elaborated on a “sprint strategy” with Toronto health sector partners, confirming that Toronto expects to start regularly receiving larger shipments of vaccine from the province.
Tory says the goal is to ensure that this increased vaccine supply will be offered to eligible residents, especially those living in 13 specific hotspots, as quickly as possible through mobile and pop-up community vaccination clinics.
“We’re united in one goal: get vaccines to our most vulnerable, as quickly as possible. By working together to ramp up vaccinations in the 13 highest priority areas through mobile and pop-up clinics, we are working to protect Torontonians at greatest risk of COVID-19, including frontline and essential workers,” said the mayor.
“Right now, it’s all hands on deck to get vaccines out to our hardest-hit communities, and into Torontonians’ arms.”
Toronto Public Health identified these 13 priority areas classified by postal code to direct increased vaccine to through mobile and pop-up clinics:
- Northwest: M9W, M9V, M9L, M9M, M9N, M6M, M3K, M3J, M3N, M3M
- Central: M4H
- East: M1J, M1G
This will be conducted through a combination of mobile, and pop-up clinics, and the shots will be available for anyone at least 18 years old.
When those 13 areas are done, the city will move on to the next group of hotspot regions.
This past weekend TPH allocated 3,700 doses for these mobile and pop-up clinics. For following sprint strategy clinics, the plan is to allocate 12,000 doses a week.
The nine city-operated COVID-19 immunization clinics will continue to operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week.
“The teams from our Toronto Hospitals, primary care providers, and teams across the health system continue to inspire me as we work together on the mobile sprint strategy,” said de Villa.
“These clinics, held in communities through the leadership and wisdom of community leaders are inspiring and give me hope that Toronto can dampen the effect of this virus to the point that we can think about a future where we live with this virus and regain much of what we’ve lost to the pandemic.”
A new block of approximately 231,000 appointments in city-operated immunization clinics between May 10th and June 6th will soon be made available through the province’s online booking portal.
TPH also announced that clinic resources will be enhanced at multiple immunization centres, including Scarborough Town Centre (25 percent increase), the Malvern Community Recreation Centre (25 percent increase), and The Hangar Sport and Event Centre (25 percent increase).
De Villa repeats her warning that we can not vaccinate our way out of the third wave of the virus, saying it will take a combination of vaccinations and public health protective measures to flatten the curve.
“The more vaccine that comes, the harder the teams will work to bring this about.”
