Today, 26,771 Torontonians joined the City of Toronto and Team Toronto vaccination partners at the Toronto Vaccine Day “Our Winning Shot” clinic at Scotiabank Arena. The total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered are believed to be a new world record for most one-day COVID-19 vaccinations given at a single clinic.
Mayor John Tory visited the “Our Winning Shot” clinic yesterday during setup. The Mayor, joined by renowned Toronto Maple Leaf alumnus Wendel Clark, thanked all those working to get the clinic ready and acknowledged that while a world record is something to celebrate, the real prize is the protection people, their families and communities now have against COVID-19. This morning, Mayor Tory received his second dose of vaccine at the “Our Winning Shot” clinic.
Preliminary counts from today’s clinic indicate 26,771 doses administered. Throughout the day, the clinic administered 978 first doses and 25,793 second doses, with 25,476 adults and 1,295 youth vaccinated. On average, immunizers gave 1,785 vaccines per hour. At 2:21 p.m., the clinic surpassed the Canadian record of 10,470 vaccinations given at a single clinic in one day. At 4:58 p.m., the “Our Winning Shot” clinic surpassed the North American record of 17,003 doses by one clinic in a single day.
People attending the clinic were entertained by Kiss 92.5’s DJ Clymaxxx and Breakfast Television’s Devo Brown, with visits from Carlton the Bear and the Raptor. Fifty lucky vaccine recipients – one every 30 minutes – also won Toronto Maple Leaf or Toronto Raptor tickets for an upcoming game.
The “Our Winning Shot” clinic was made possible through a partnership between the City, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), Scotiabank, University Health Network and Michael Garron Hospital. All partners want to thank the nearly 1,500 staff and volunteers that made the day a historic success.
Now is not the time to slow down, Toronto. Tomorrow at 8 a.m. eligibility for accelerated second doses further expands to all adults who received a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine at least eight weeks ago or a first dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine at least 28 days ago. As of yesterday, Toronto youth age 12 to 17 who received a first dose of vaccine at least 28 days ago are also eligible to book an accelerated second dose. Appointments for City-run immunization clinics can be booked by residents through the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button on toronto.ca/covid-19 or by calling the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900.
More than 35 per cent of Torontonians now have their second dose of vaccine. Getting a second dose is vital in Toronto’s fight against COVID-19 and the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) that is more infectious than other strains of the virus. Recent studies have shown that two weeks after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, a person’s protection against the Delta variant is 50 per cent higher than one dose alone.
To easily connect to resources including vaccine appointment bookings, information on vaccines and upcoming telephone town halls, Toronto residents can text “VACCINE” to 1-833-750-0888 or 833-750-0888 for more information.
Quotes:
“Toronto Vaccine Day at Scotiabank Arena is a huge success and demonstrates the progress Team Toronto is making getting people vaccinated. Thank you to our dedicated partners along with all the staff and volunteers who worked to make sure today was a winning shot in our fight against COVID-19. And thank you to the thousands of Toronto residents who stepped forward today to get either their first or second shot and set a record in the process. I continue to encourage all Toronto residents to get fully vaccinated so we can bring this pandemic to an end.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Toronto, we did it. 25,000 Torontonians stepped up to protect themselves, their community, and their city. It’s a remarkable record-breaking achievement. Today’s clinic was a remarkable Team Toronto logistical effort. Now, let’s keep pushing, keep working, and get Toronto vaccinated”.
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Toronto Board of Health
“What an accomplishment! Thank you to all involved in this incredible achievement. And thank you Toronto, for showing up and rolling up your sleeves to protect yourselves and our communities.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health
“Throughout this pandemic, those working on the frontlines have worked tirelessly to care for and protect our communities from a virus that has tested our strength and resilience. Today’s milestone marks a bright light in this pandemic and demonstrates the incredible power of partnerships across sectors in the City of Toronto. At MGH, our guiding principle is to get as many vaccines into arms as expediently as possible; we are so proud to be a part of this remarkable day and do our part to bring our community one step closer to the lives we knew before this pandemic. Congratulations to our exceptional teams who made this day possible – and thank you Toronto for your outstanding showing of collective action and support in the fight against COVID-19.”
– Sarah Downey, President and CEO, Michael Garron Hospital
“Stunning is the only word to describe Toronto Vaccine Day. To vaccinate 25,000 people, set a world record and work so effectively with the City of Toronto, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Scotiabank, Scotiabank Arena, Michael Garron Hospital and the vaccine teams from hospitals and community agencies across the city – what a demonstration of cooperation and support for the citizens of this city.”
– Kevin Smith, President and CEO, University Health Network (UHN)
“This record setting vaccination clinic is another important example of partners coming together to help our community overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, but more importantly, of the caring spirit of this community as they responded so emphatically to the opportunity to take their shot to protect themselves and each other. Having 25,000 Torontonians back in Scotiabank Arena Sunday, plus the hundreds of volunteers and others making the event happen, reminds us of how much we look forward to hosting our fans again very soon and why this Team Toronto vaccination effort is so vitally important. Thank you to our friends at the City of Toronto, Team Vaccine and Scotiabank for their leadership, as well as to everyone who contributed in any way to today’s success. MLSE was proud to be a part of this effort and we are always proud to be a part of Team Toronto.”
– Michael Friisdahl, President & CEO of MLSE
“A heartfelt thanks to all of our partners, and the volunteers, who helped make Toronto Vaccine Day at Scotiabank Arena an overwhelming success. Defeating the virus requires that we work together as a team, while also doing our part by getting our shots. I’m more hopeful than ever that the next time Scotiabank Arena has 25,000 people move through its doors, they will be fans, cheering on the Leafs and Raptors.”
– Brian Porter, President and CEO, Scotiabank
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