Mass vaccination clinic opens in Thorncliffe Park today
Posted March 24, 2021 6:27 am.
Last Updated March 24, 2021 10:56 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An east-end Toronto neighbourhood hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic is getting a mass vaccination clinic starting Wednesday.
The newest site is located inside the East York Town Centre in Thorncliffe Park.
The city announced Tuesday that the Thorncliffe Park clinic expects to administer around 1,200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on its first day of operations. As more supply becomes available the site will aim to vaccinate 10,000 people each day.
“This is a major step forward in our vaccination efforts in Thorncliffe Park,” said Mayor John Tory. “Vaccinating our residents living in hard hit communities has been a priority for all of our partners involved in our vaccination efforts.”
Thorncliffe Park is a high-density neighbourhood with several large high-rise apartment buildings and the neighbourhood is home to a high volume of essential workers and families with lower socio-economic status. The result has led to the community being one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By placing a COVID-19 mass immunization centre in the heart of this neighbourhood, our hope is to reduce barriers such as location and transportation to make the COVID-19 vaccine as accessible as possible for individuals living in this community,” says Dr. Catherine Yu, a family physician at Health Access Thorncliffe Park.
Residents who are 75 or older can book appointments through the provincial government’s online portal.
RELATED: Ontario expands Phase 2 vaccine eligibility list
The clinic is Toronto’s 10th announced mass immunization site and the fourth to begin operations. The first three clinics at the Metro Convention Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, and Toronto Congress Centre opened last week.
Clinics at the Malvern Community Recreation Centre and the Mitchell Field Community Centre are scheduled to open on March 29, and the Hangar Sports and Events Centre will follow suit on April 5.
The three remaining city-operated clinics continue to prepare to open, awaiting direction from the province and available vaccine supply.
Fire chief Matthew Pegg – in charge of Toronto’s pandemic response – says the first three clinics are now running at more than triple the daily capacity compared to last week.
He shared an apology online on Tuesday for hours long lineups at clinics in the city. Pegg announced that changes have been made and the problem of long wait times has been fixed.
To date, 388,464 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto.
