KITCHENER -- Health officials have set the record for the most COVID-19 vaccines administered in a single day in Waterloo Region thanks in big part to the Bingemans clinic.
The record for most vaccines at a clinic was set at 4 p.m. on Saturday when 3,900 shots had been given.
By the end of the day at 10 p.m., over 4,900 vaccines were administered at the "Every Dose Counts" clinic.
Officials confirmed that 12,820 doses were administered across all Waterloo Region clinics on Saturday, which beat the previous single day record of 10,896 set on June 25.
On Sunday at 4 p.m., 3,200 vaccines had been administered at the Bingemans Conference Centre for the day, bringing the clinic's total to 8,100 on the weekend.
Yesterday we got 4,904 doses into arms – our highest number of doses administered in one day at any Regional vaccination clinic to date! ��
— Region of Waterloo (@RegionWaterloo) July 11, 2021
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to the #EveryDoseCounts clinic yesterday, and to our partners, volunteers and staff �� pic.twitter.com/eRJl6KPsYH
“They are stepping up,” said regional chair Karen Redman. “Whether it’s the 600 volunteers who are making this whole ‘hockey hub’ and traditional clinic run, or the people that are coming to get their first or second doses.”
Officials said they had capacity to vaccinate 10,000 people on Saturday, with a goal of getting 20,000 by the end of the weekend.
“We are really looking for big numbers this weekend to help get our community vaccinated,” said Vickie Murray of the region.
Jamie Jacobs says he’s been trying to move up his Sept. 11 appointment for a while and jumped on the opportunity when he had a chance.
“We booked it in the parking lot across the road like an hour and a quarter before our appointment and our appointment is now,” he said. “We have already been in and out.
“It was great. There was no confusion, they hay ushers to take you, they had a person that held up a tag, and then an usher to take you right to where the tag was.”
The Region of Waterloo partnered with Bruce Power to set up the “Hockey Hub” style of clinic in a matter of hours.
“When the person coming in for their vaccine comes in, they don’t have to move around,” said Pat Dalzell of Bruce Power. “They just go to one spot and sit down. The vaccinators come to them.”
Grand River Transit has been running shuttle busses from Downtown Kitchener to Bingemans throughout Saturday to provide transportation for those that don’t drive.
Redman says they hope to vaccinate everyone who wants a shot, as the region plans to move into Step 3 on July 16 with the rest of the province.
