Pinebush clinic reopens as region expects ‘surge’ in demand for bivalent booster
The COVID-19 bivalent booster shot is available to all adults in Ontario starting Monday.
The Cambridge Pinebush clinic will be open all week with varying hours for the Omicron-targeted booster vaccine.
“We’re anticipating [for] four to six weeks that there will be this big surge and then we will reassess and see if it needs to be opened for longer,” said Jessie Johal, the director of infectious diseases COVID-19 response with the Region Of Waterloo Public Health. “Pharmacies are also offering it. Primary care providers are also offering it. So people have a lot of choice to get it.”
The Pinebush clinic started winding down operations earlier this year due to the decline in vaccine demand but reopened the mass vaccination clinic once the province approved the bivalent booster shot.
“We're anticipating there to be a surge in demand, so we reopened this site, so we can accommodate,” Johal.
At the Pinebush clinic, spots were filling up quickly as residents needed to book an appointment to get their booster shot.
“We have about 400 appointments open, and I think we're fully booked or close to,” said Johal.
“The hope is after this first few weeks that we're back and providing some of the mobile options that we've been doing.”
Appointments can be made online through the provincial COVID-19 vaccination portal.
The recommended wait is six months from the last booster dose.
The booster comes as the region said it is preparing for a rise in COVID-19 cases.
“We're relatively stable, about 50 patients a day. However, the numbers are starting to inch up,” said Marianne Walker, COVID-19 hospital lead for Waterloo Wellington.
In Waterloo-Wellington, some hospitals have said they are already at, or nearing, capacity.
“Many more people are having COVID in the community, and at the same time, we're going to have to deal with all of those respiratory diseases that we didn’t have last year because people were masking,” said Walker.
Health experts are encouraging people to keep up to date with vaccinations, as they believe this will help ease pressure on hospitals and minimize spread.
One person at Pinebush on Monday told CTV News they are getting the vaccine because they want to be safe and help out those with health issues.
Another person said: “With all the variations that are out there, it’s an opportunity to get the new shot that’s out and available for us to protect our friends, our family, and our neighbours.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.