Michael Garron Hospital and East Toronto Health Partners will begin a 10-day Vax The East campaign on Feb. 12 in an effort to boost COVID-19 vaccination numbers locally.
To launch the campaign, the hospital and health partners are teaming up with the City of Toronto, the Ontario Science Centre, and other organizations to host a pair of family-friendly vaccination clinics on Saturday, Feb. 12, and Sunday, Feb. 13.
This weekend’s Vax The East campaign launch vaccination clinics will take place at the Thorncliffe Community Hub in the East York Town Centre, 45 Overlea Blvd., and the Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Rd. The clinics will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. both days.
“Both clinics will offer first, second, third and kids (paediatric) COVID-19 vaccines and are open to all eligible individuals in the city,” said a press release announcing Vax The East. “However, outreach and promotion efforts will be focused in Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park, two East Toronto neighbourhoods that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Walk-ins are encouraged and accepted at both clinics; appointments can also be made in advance using the provincial booking system.”
The provincial booking system can be accessed at at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/
A number of fun events are planned for this weekend’s clinics. The Thorncliffe Park clinic will have a kid-approved balloon artist and a fun glitter tattoo application for kids, while the Ontario Science Centre will showcase kid-friendly, do-it-yourself science videos for families. Children aged 5 to 11 who get vaccinated will also take home a “certificate of bravery” for getting their first or second dose.
Also, individuals who get vaccinated at this weekend’s Vax The East clinics will also have the chance to win gas gift cards, N95 masks, disinfectant wipes, Ontario Science Centre-themed giveaways, Dentonia Park Golf Course passes and a limited number of passes to the Ontario Science Centre and the Aga Khan Museum for use at a later date.
“We’re launching Vax The East to support communities with lower COVID-19 vaccination rates and bring vaccines close to home for thousands of Toronto’s east-end residents,” said Mayor John Tory in a City of Toronto press release.
“This is another example of how all of our Team Toronto partners are working together to help people have the best protection possible against COVID-19. I encourage everyone to come out this weekend and get vaccinated and participate in the fun activities Team Toronto has planned for these events.”
For more information on other COVID-19 vaccination clinics being run through Michael Garron Hospital and East Toronto Health Partners, please go to https://tehn.ca/covid19/covid-19-vaccine/mobile-and-pop-vaccine-clinics-east-toronto
Other upcoming Vax The East clinics are set for Scarborough from Feb. 14 to 22. The Vax The East Scarborough campaign will roll out mobile vaccination clinics in schools across Scarborough.
The eight-day effort, which is an initiative of the Scarborough Health Network and the Scarborough Ontario Health Team (SOHT) will see five to six local schools visited by mobile teams each day with vaccines available for eligible students, staff, parents and the wider community.
More information on the Vax The East clinics in Scarborough next week is available at https://www.scarboroughcovidvaccineclinic.ca/
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