The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is closing its mass vaccination clinic on December 16th.
The clinic at the Western Fair District has been operating since December of 2020, and it first opened at the Western Fair Agriplex, after being relocated to the Western Fair District’s main building in October 2022.
‘’The closure of this clinic times with the end of the fall COVID-19 vaccination and influenza campaign, as well as the end of extraordinary funds available from the province to fund these types of clinics. Those funds no longer continue into 2024. And so, given the absence of those funds, as well as the end of the fall campaign, now is the time to end that clinic,’’ says Dr. Alex Summers, Medical Officer of Health at Middlesex-London Health Unit.
After 518 days operating, the clinic provided 235,407 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
‘’In the Middlesex London region, over 1.4 million doses of the COVID 19 vaccine have been delivered to our community from December 2020 to now. And of that 1. 4 million, over 230,000 doses were delivered through the Western Fair site.’’
‘’I think that speaks to how much work was done through this clinic and what an impact it made on the health of our community.’’
With the possible emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus, Summers says provincial and federal colleagues continue to monitor any changes that might require new measures.
‘’We know that the vaccine will be continued to be modified to reflect the variants that are surging. The key thing is that because of the willingness of our community to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, even as that mutation occurs, we still have relatively good protection as a community, particularly against the most severe outcomes.’’
More than 150 staff members from 10 partnering organizations, in addition to 100 physicians and 400 MLHU staff members contributed to the success of the clinic.
‘’We will continue to promote the importance of vaccination, not just for COVID-19 and Influenza, but for all vaccination. One of the things that we do every year is work with our school board partners and with parents to make sure that Children are up to date with their vaccines.’’
‘’That is one of the ways in which we continue to promote the importance of vaccination. It is the most important tool that we have to protect against infectious diseases. It’s safe. It’s effective. And it’s made a real difference in our community, not just for COVID, but for lots of diseases over the last many decades.’’
The clinic is administering the flu shot and Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster up until its closure on December 16th, and those seeking for the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines can go to pharmacies in the Middlesex and London region.
‘’If you’re over the age of two, contact your nearest pharmacy in order to receive your vaccine. We are also accepting walk in appointments. So, if you’re looking for a vaccine, come by and see us. We’re happy to give you both your COVID and influenza vaccinations.’’
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