No need for Canadian Tire Centre-sized ‘mega’ COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Ottawa: Di Monte
Posted Jun 30, 2021 09:45:31 PM.
The City of Ottawa is crediting the willingness of residents to get COVID-19 vaccines and its own rollout plan for the luxury of not needing to put on a massive vaccination event, like the one held recent in Toronto
The Toronto Health Unit set a single day record for vaccinations this week when 26,771 doses were administered at a one-day “mega-mass” clinic held at Scotiabank Arena.
“Its not something we're currently contemplating,” says Anthony Di Monte, Ottawa's general manager of emergency and protective services. “To be honest, things are moving very, very well across all of our system and we're still focusing on our high-risk neighbourhoods and rural communities.”
As of Wednesday, June 30, the city already has the capacity to administer an average of 22,000 vaccines per day. So, even if the city wanted to set up a mega-mass vaccination clinic at the Canadian Tire Centre for example, Di Monte says it wouldn't really be necessary.
“I spoke to my colleagues in Toronto, and I know they're having a bit more trouble there and I've mentioned it, Dr. Etches and Mayor Watson has mentioned it, we're not having the same [vaccine] hesitancy here,” he says.
Di Monte adds, the city has made exceptional progress with its vaccine rollout just in the last week, doubling the number of vaccine clinics and ramping up on the number of doses it can administer.
He says the rollout in the capital is working, and the city wouldn't want to make any major changes that would throw a wrench into the entire system.
