Ottawa Public Health offering more easily-accessible chances for people to get COVID-19 vaccination

Ottawa Public Health wants to continue to make getting your COVID-19 vaccine easy and convenient by shifting community clinic capacity to increase vaccination opportunities.

OPH will be doing this by increasing capacity through the neighbourhood level and meeting a growing demand for the vaccine, the local health agency said Friday.

Starting Tuesday, four community clinic locations will accept drop-ins for first and second doses, no appointment necessary, between 12:45 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Walk-ins will also be accepted Tuesday to Friday, and Saturdays between 9:45 a.m. and 4 p.m..

The four community clinics are:

• Eva James Community Centre at 65 Stonehaven Dr.
• Ruddy Family YMCA-YWCA at 265 Centrum Blvd.
• Minto Sports Complex at uOttawa at 801 King Edward Ave.
• J.H. Putman Public School at 2051 Bel-Air Dr. (newly-added clinic location)

There are also other vaccine options across the city, including visiting one of the 17 neighbourhood vaccination hubs currently offered.

Another option is to book with a local pharmacy or visit a pop-up clinic.

Workplaces, community organizations, places of worship and other groups can contact OPH to request a mobile vaccination team to administer first and second doses of the vaccine on-site, at their location.

After receiving a shot, people will get a confirmation e-mail with proof of vaccination. A vaccine receipt can also be downloaded through www.Ontario.ca/bookvaccine.

This announcement comes as Ontario reported seeing a spike in demand for COVID-19 shots since announcing a provincial vaccine certificate program, as reported by The Canadian Press earlier this week.

The system will require Ontarians to show proof of inoculation to access some non-essential services like theatres, gyms and restaurants, starting on September 22. It’s aimed at boosting immunization rates and reducing risks for the unvaccinated.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott said there were 7,125 COVID-19 vaccine appointments booked through the provincial portal alone on Wednesday, compared to 3,479 a day earlier, before the certificate plan was announced.