COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics in Calgary Malls Offer the “Perfect Match” for the Holidays – Calgary | The Canadian News

Californians can now get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine while still doing some Christmas shopping this year.

On Tuesday, Southcentre Mall announced that it would partner with the City of Calgary’s mobile vaccination program.

“It is the perfect mix. We wanted to go where the people are and the most populated places just before the Christmas season are the shopping malls, “said Coby Duerr, acting chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.

Tuesday was the first time the South Calgary shopping center hosted a vaccination site.

“We started with the vaccination area this morning and the public has received it very well. So people are very happy to see this space here, ”said Alexandra Velosa, Southcentre Mall marketing manager.

Buyers waiting to receive a first, second, or third dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be asked to remain inside the vaccination site for 15 minutes after receiving the injection, according to Alberta Health Services guidelines. .

“It’s just the convenience of coming here, you have everything and you can do your shopping and also take care of yourself,” Velosa explained.

The walk-in vaccination clinic is located on the second floor near Hudson Bay and will be open from 8 am to 5 pm with a one-hour closure at noon. The Southcentre Mall Immunization Clinic will also be open on December 16, 19, 21, 22, 28 and 29.

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Market Mall, in the northwest of the city, will also have a temporary vaccination clinic run by the city on December 18, 19, 23, 30 and 31, which will operate during the same hours as the Southcentre location.

All people attending mall vaccination sites are reminded to wear their mask while at the mall and to bring proof of identification and their Alberta health cards.

Velosa, who was able to get her booster dose at the clinic at the mall where she worked, said she had spoken with other retail workers at the mall who are excited to get vaccinated near where they work.

“I actually ran into someone this morning at one of our stores, and that’s exactly what she mentioned to me. She said, ‘You know, I haven’t, not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have time and this is the busiest season.’ I can’t leave the store unguarded, ‘”Velosa said.

Velosa said the retailer planned to take a lunch break to get vaccinated.

“We saw the need to remove some barriers and, through this mobile vaccination program, we have had the opportunity to remove some barriers so that some people can start their journey down the vaccination route, which is the way out of this. pandemic, ”Duerr said.

He noted that children under the age of 12 cannot get vaccinated at any of the city’s mobile vaccination clinics, including those in shopping malls, libraries, YMCA locations, or other businesses.

More than 2,500 people have received vaccine doses since the outreach program launched on September 22, of which 759 were first doses.

The city operates a fleet of 5 mobile vaccination stations, housed in vans, which have been dispatched to every Calgary neighborhood over the past few months. A full calendar of locations is available at the city website.