Toronto prepares to open three more mass immunization clinics by April 5

Toronto will have a total of six mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics operating by the first week of April.

Mayor John Tory said Monday that the city is moving as fast as it can to administer vaccines to its residents. 

“Subject to questions of supply, our work to get as many people in the city of Toronto vaccinated as soon as we can, continues,” he said. “Within those constraints we continue to make progress.”

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Scarborough Town Centre and the Toronto Congress Centre are already scheduled to open for mass vaccinations this Wednesday.

Tory announced Monday that 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.

All six clinics will operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Tory said those hours could change dependent on take-up experience and supply.

A total of nine city-run mass immunization clinics are planned in Toronto, on top of the work done by hospitals, mobile vaccination sites, and other health-care partners.

Tory said that Toronto Public Health and its health-care partners had administered 263,532 doses of vaccine within the city as of Monday afternoon.

Fire Chief Matthew Pegg, who is serving as the city’s general manager of emergency management, said that when all six city-operated clinics are running at full capacity next month, Toronto will have the ability to administer up to 235,000 doses per week.

Pegg added that two more clinics are close to being operational, with plans for a third.

“I’m pleased to report that we now have completed the setup inside the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre location and we have commenced setup operations inside the Carmine Stefano Community Centre,” said Pegg.

“Following the completion of setup operations inside Carmine Stefano we will commence with setting up the final city-operated clinic inside Cloverdale Mall.”

Pegg said the North Toronto, Carmine Stefano, and Cloverdale sites will open later in April, when vaccine availability permits. 

More than 350 additional clinics are planned across Toronto that will be operated by hospitals, pharmacies, primary-care providers, and other health-care partners.

By: John Chidley-Hill

© The Canadian Press, 2021. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.