Hamilton health partners launch two COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics

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Published April 7, 2021 at 8:04 am

Two pop-up COVID-19 clinics will be launching Wednesday (April 7) in north-central Hamilton that will provide jabs to residents 60 years of age and older.

The two clinics, located at Bernie Morelli and Pinky Lewis rec centres, are by appointment only and will run from April 7 to the 11th.

Members of the public can call the Public Health Services COVID-19 Hotline at 905-974-9848, option 7 to book their appointment.

“Due to potential call volumes expected at the call centre, we ask that those who are calling for an appointment are patient and call back if the lines are busy,” a Hamilton Public Health Service press release issued late Tuesday said.

The mobile vaccination team will be administering COVID-19 vaccinations to those who are eligible at the pop-up vaccination clinics listed below and will return to the same clinic location at a future date to administer second doses by appointment.

“We are pleased to announce that to date, we have administered approximately 114,631 doses of COVD-19 vaccine – with 19.3 per cent of eligible Hamiltonians receiving a vaccine to date,” the press release said.

The Province announced Tuesday that it would be moving to Phase 2 of its vaccination rollout which will focus on reaching those with specific health conditions and individuals residing in virus “hotspots.”

In Hamilton, the L9C (west Mountain) and L8W (east Mountain) postal codes have been designated as hotspots. Individuals aged 55-plus with “highest-risk” health conditions in those areas will be prioritized for the vaccine.

This is in addition to the 21 pharmacies in Hamilton currently offering the Astra Zeneca vaccine to people 55 years of age and older.

Hamilton’s pharmacy vaccine program and the Phase 2 rollout plan — which are carried out under the direction of the Province of Ontario — have been criticized locally for not focusing efforts in the lower section of the city.

On Monday, in a letter to Premier Doug Ford, six politicians representing lower Hamilton called the province’s vaccine prioritization ‘reckless’ and ‘irresponsible.’

“We join with the residents of Lower Hamilton to express our outrage at the provincial government’s decision to exclude the lower city of Hamilton in their COVID-19 vaccine rollout via local pharmacies,” the statement said.

For more information on Hamilton’s vaccination program or to book an appointment, visit the City’s website.

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