Yesterday, Team Toronto wrapped up the successful 10-day hyper-local Vax The East campaign to bring COVID-19 vaccines close to home for thousands of residents and increase vaccination numbers in Toronto’s east end.
Vax The East launched on February 12 and continued through Family Day. Weekend clinics at the Ontario Science Centre and Thorncliffe Park Community Hub kicked off the campaign, followed by 34 pop-up clinics over eight days in Scarborough schools. In total, Team Toronto vaccinated 3,127 people, including 1,240 children age five to 11 during Vax The East.
The campaign’s hyper-local vaccination opportunities provided easy and convenient access to vaccines for eligible kids and adults in Flemingdon Park, Thorncliffe Park and across Scarborough in priority neighbourhoods of Bendale, Dorset Park, Eglinton East, Ionview, L’Amoreaux, Malvern, Morningside, Rouge, Scarborough Village, Tam O’Shanter-Sullivan, West Hill, Wexford/Maryvale and Woburn.
During Vax The East: Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park, staff at clinics at Ontario Science Centre and Thorncliffe Park Community Hub vaccinated more than 1,760 people against COVID-19 over the course of the weekend. The two clinics vaccinated 514 brave children age five to 11 and 1,252 youth and adults who came out to enjoy fun, family-friendly activities while helping to protect themselves and their communities.
The campaign continued from Valentine’s Day through Family Day with Vax The East: Scarborough, bringing mobile pop-up clinics to 34 schools and vaccinating 1,367 people including 726 students age five to 11 over the course of eight days.
The highest turnout was seen at the Cedar Drive Junior Public School in Scarborough Village where 126 people including 67 five- to 11-year-olds were vaccinated at a single-day pop-up clinic on February 16.
Some of the other busiest pop-up clinics were over the Family Day long weekend, in Dorset Park at the Glamorgan Jr. Public School where 88 people including 58 children were vaccinated on Sunday, and in Eglinton East neighbourhood at the John McCrae Public School on Family Day Monday, where 103 people were vaccinated, including 57 children.
All of the Vax The East clinics were designed with children and families in mind, and offered a calm and kid-friendly vaccination experience in a safe, convenient setting close to home. Vax The East clinics accepted walk-ins and were fully accessible.
Through Vaccine Engagement Teams and community health partners, ambassadors once again continued their outreach directly with residents to help book appointments and share translated flyers with clinic and vaccine information in multiple languages to reach as many people as possible. The City’s VaxTO program also sent out close to 35,000 broadcast voice messages to promote the clinics and provide access to vaccination information to local residents in advance of the clinic dates.
Vax The East was a collaboration between the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health, Michael Garron Hospital, East Toronto Health Partners, Scarborough Health Network, Scarborough Ontario Health Team partners, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, TTC, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Team Toronto partners to support communities with lower COVID-19 vaccination rates.
Team Toronto’s Vax The East campaign followed the success of Toronto Vaccine Day, Toronto Kids Vaccine Day and Vax The Northwest events, and delivered unique and fun vaccination opportunities for children and families, in convenient settings close to home.
Team Toronto, together with healthcare and community partners, continues to work hard to bring COVID-19 vaccines into neighbourhoods with lower vaccination rates and provide equitable access to vaccine information, including for residents who speak languages other than English.
For those who require a first, second or third dose of the vaccine, there are many other ways to get vaccinated throughout Toronto, including at City-run immunization clinics. Appointments can be booked online on the provincial booking system at https://covid19.ontariohealth.ca or by calling 1-833-943-3900. All City clinics are accepting walk-ins including for third doses for ages 12 to 17.
More information about vaccination options across Toronto is available on the City’s COVID-19: How to Get Vaccinated webpage: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-how-to-get-vaccinated/.
Quotes:
“Thank you to every member of Team Toronto who took part in our Vax The East campaign over the last 10 days. More than 3,100 vaccine doses were delivered thanks to this hyper-local effort – that’s 3,100 people with more protection against COVID-19. These team efforts help protect our progress and will ensure we come out of this pandemic stronger than ever.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Thanks to the work of our Team Toronto health and community partners, Vax The East was able to make vaccines accessible for more than 3,100 Torontonians. Vax The East has shown the success of our hyper-local strategy to reach everyone, everywhere, by bringing vaccines directly into neighbourhoods with lower vaccination rates.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Toronto Board of Health
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