CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — P.E.I.'s two mass vaccination clinics are set up and ready to go on March 29 - here's what Islanders should know.
The COVID-19 clinics are located at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown and the Holland College building in Summerside. They'll be taking over for clinics that have been operating out of the Sherwood Business Centre and the County Fair Mall.
Marion Dowling, P.E.I.'s chief nursing officer, said the reason for this is because P.E.I. now has more vaccines available.
"We needed additional space, and we want to get it out as quickly as possible to Islanders," she said during a media tour of the Charlottetown clinic on March 26.
The additional space is to allow for social distancing. Both mass clinics are expected to see up to 300 appointments on their first day, and Dowling expects the mass clinics will allow for up to 1,500 people to be vaccinated per day across P.E.I., depending on vaccine supply, she said.
"We're not seeing a lot of hesitancy toward getting the vaccine on P.E.I. Which is excellent."
Marion Dowling
Islanders should arrive at the mass clinic with their health card if they have one. Islanders only need to arrive about five minutes ahead of their appointment, because if too many arrive early it could result in overcrowding, Dowling said.
"We're not seeing a lot of hesitancy toward getting the vaccine on P.E.I. Which is excellent," she said. "(But) we don't want people coming too far in advance."
Islanders are permitted to bring a support person if needed, and the signage was designed to be as clear as possible for those who have difficulty seeing. Staff and volunteers will be on-hand to assist, and both mass clinics are in fully accessible buildings.
Upon arrival, Islanders will be asked COVID-19 screening questions, then register and wait to receive the vaccine at one of 12 stations. After they receive it, they'll wait in another section for up to 15 minutes to be monitored, then they'll be able to leave.
Dowling anticipates the entire process will take about 30 minutes based on the results of past clinics.
"We want people to be comfortable coming to a larger setting. It's really the same as our other clinics," she said. "It's just on a larger volume."
AT A GLANCE:
The COVID-19 mass vaccination clinics will operate by appointment only from Monday to Saturday - some from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and others from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They'll be providing the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
Anyone with appointments already scheduled in Charlottetown or Summerside will be relocated to the mass clinics and their appointment time will remain the same.
The mass clinics are scheduled to operate at least until June. There are also smaller clinics at the Rosedale Care Centre in Montague and the O'Leary Health Centre, and one is expected to commence at the Souris Hospital in April.
Daniel Brown is a local journalism initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government. Twitter.com/dnlbrown95
