A pop-up clinic at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Amherstburg offering third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine attracted a list of booster applicants Saturday morning.
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Although the official expansion of eligibility for booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine will not occur until Monday, adult residents of Windsor-Essex have been seeking their third dose.
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On Saturday morning, a crowd gathered at a pop-up vaccination clinic in Amherstburg to offer the booster to “anyone over the age of 18” three months from their second dose.
The clinic, hosted by the pharmacy at the Shoppers Drug Mart at 199 Sandwich St. South in Amherstburg, began at 8 a.m. and was scheduled to operate until 3 p.m., no registration required.
However, limited dose availability meant the clinic was expected to run out of supply long before the afternoon.
At 11 a.m., despite the freezing rain, the line of vaccine hunters spread throughout the building.
Noah Gascon, founder of Windsor Vax Finders ( @WindsorVax ) Twitter account, wrote that the account is “committed to informing the general public about various booster vaccination opportunities in the coming weeks.”
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“Contact your loved ones and help them book their vaccination appointments once they are eligible,” Gascon wrote.
“We had a successful mass vaccination campaign before, and we can do it again! If there is any community that can do this, it is Windsor-Essex. “
In response to rising COVID-19 case rates across the province and fears of the worst due to the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Doug Ford announced last week that all Ontario residents age 18 and over will received their second dose at least three months ago will be able to book appointments for the third dose beginning Monday, December 20.
Ford’s announcement expanded adult eligibility for third doses weeks earlier than originally scheduled and cut the original wait time between doses in half.
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In a statement Saturday, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit announced an “increase” in local COVID-19 vaccination efforts, such as extended hours of operation and increased staffing at the mass vaccination site in Devonshire Mall. .
New vaccination sites are being developed in Leamington and Windsor’s west end and are expected to start operating in early January.
There will also be additional pop-up clinics in “high priority neighborhoods.”
“The urgency to enhance the immunity of our community has never been greater,” said the health unit.
“Please be patient as we work together to increase access to vaccination throughout our region.”
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But are there enough doses in the region to meet immediate demand? According to the health unit, measures are already being taken “due to the current availability of mRNA vaccines throughout the province.”
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On Saturday, under the direction of the Windsor Regional Hospital and health unit, the mass vaccination site at Devonshire Mall began limiting doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to age categories.
“For those under 30 years of age, according to the approved use and the preferential dosage recommendations, the Pfizer vaccine will be administered,” said the health unit.
“For those over 30 years of age, for whom there is no preferential dose, the Moderna vaccine will be administered.”
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine in Windsor-Essex, including booking an appointment for a third dose, visit WEVax.ca .
Reference-windsorstar.com