Ottawa’s Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health seeing surge in demand for fourth COVID-19 doses

Fourth booster shots are now available to more Ontarians — and among those groups are First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members over 18.

And one place offering fourth doses to individuals of those groups is Ottawa’s Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health.

“We are doing a hub here every Tuesday and Thursday as more and more community members have gotten vaccinated,” Natalie Lloyd of the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health told The Sam Laprade Show on Friday, April 8. “Right away on Thursday we were already taking over 20 people in for their fourth dose. And I’m looking at the schedule for next week and already the schedule is pretty full.”

Clinic hours operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The centre will be doing a larger three-day clinic for the Wabano community on April 28, 29 and 30.

Third doses will also be offered for those who have not yet received theirs.

Booking in advance is required as the centre is reporting a surge in demand for fourth doses from community members.

But it hasn't always been easy to get members of Indigenous communities to seek out healthcare, so places like Wabano have been important, Lloyd said.

“For many Indigenous community members, the experience with healthcare hasn’t always been a positive one,” Lloyd explained. “so just by coming here and knowing they’re here at Wabano they see our faces, they know us.”

Adding, “Even in our vaccine rollout, culture is a central piece to it. And we have community members we know have limitations and couldn’t come in so we would arrange for staff just to support them in either picking them up or arranging transportation for them to get in and get to their vaccination appointments.”

The Wabano Centre is located at 299 Montreal Road in Vanier.

Those looking to book a vaccine appointment are asked to visit the Wabano Centre’s website and pre-book through its portal.

Vaccine doses are available for those aged five and up.

Members are reminded to bring a piece of ID with them to their appointments.

Listen to Natalie Lloyd's full interview on The Sam Laprade Show on Friday, April 8 below.