Waterloo region hopes 'hockey hub' clinic will vaccinate 20,000 people this weekend

Waterloo region officials hope to see 20,000 people at Bingemans in Kitchener, Ont., this weekend for a "hockey hub" vaccination clinic.

Regional officials have dubbed Saturday and Sunday the "every dose counts" weekend. Thousands of appointments are available, the region said Friday afternoon, and walk-ins are now allowed for both first and second doses between10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

While it's not the single-day, record-breaking event seen in Toronto last month when roughly 27,000 people went to the Scotiabank Arena and rolled up their sleeves, Waterloo region's medical officer of health wants to see the hockey hub filled to capacity.

"We really need people to try to complete their series as soon as they can, and right now we have lots of availability for that. So we are strongly encouraging people not to wait," Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said during a newsconference on Thursday announcing the region would enter Step 2 of the provincial reopening plan on Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET.

"If they're eligible for their second dose, get their second dose. We have the spots now available. We really need to, as a community, try to get the best protection as fast as we can."

Wang said the delta variantalso known as B.1617 which was first detected in Indiacontinues to circulate in the community. Even as the region enters Step 2 next week, elevated case numbers are expected. On Thursday, the region reported 52 new COVID-19 cases.

"We will continue to have pressure in our hospital system for a while and the case rates will not drop right away," she said."There will be cases and clusters and outbreaks of delta, but we are pushing back hard."

'We're not going to stop'

As of Thursday, 79.93 per cent of people 18 and older in the region had received a first dose of the vaccine, which is above the provincial average of 78.6 per cent of people 18 and older.

The region does lag behind the province for second doses, though. Provincially, more than 50 per cent of people 18 and older have their second shot, while it's 46.65 per cent in the region.

It's expected the number of people seeking their first vaccine dose will slow after an initial rush, but Wang said public health plans to continue to try to educate people to get more people vaccinated.

"We're not going to stop," she said. "We're not going to ever say, 'OK, we have enough of our residents immunized. We can carry on now.' We're going to keep going."

Wang says that includes the Mennonite community in Wellesley and Woolwich townships, where she says there's been ongoing outreach for months with health-care providers.

"In that community, I think we need to make it as accessible as possible and to answer questions that they may have," Wang said. "We just have to make sure that when we offer the vaccine, we try to break down all possible barriers and continue to encourage them to increase vaccine uptake."

Many reasons why people wait

Pharmacist and University of Waterloo associate professor Kelly Grindrod has worked at one of the vaccination clinics and says she's pleased to see people still coming in for first doses.

Grindrod says some people have waited because of a fear of needles, but other people say they've been busy with work, and there are parents who worryabout being sidelined by side effects of the vaccine.

"Others just felt that there wasn't enough research and now there is. Most people around them are vaccinated, things seem to have gone well," she said.

Walk-in clinics have also helped people get their first dose because they can make a spur of the moment decision to go get the shot, she said.

Listen to the full interview with Kelly Grindrod:

'Make it happen'

Wang has said the plan is to see the region move into Step 3 with the rest of the province. That's anticipated to happen later this month.

During a board of health meeting on Tuesday evening, North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton addressed the public and urged people to get vaccinated.

"Please get vaccinated 20,000 doses in a weekend, we need you to do it," Foxton said. "Let's get to Stage 3. Come on, folks, rub those hands together, make it happen."

During Thursday's media briefing, regional chair Karen Redman said people need to take the first vaccine available to them.

"Do not wait."

The hockey hub at Bingemans is being set up in partnership with Bruce Power, which helped Grey Bruce Public Health create the system. The hockey hub is designed with big spaces, such as arenas, in mind. People getting the vaccine are directed to a seat, and the vaccines will come to them.

Appointments can be madebetween 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and walk-ins are available for both first and second doses. Anyone aged 12 and up can get vaccinated at the clinic.

Redman saidthe hockey hubhelps build on other initiatives the region has done to increase access to the vaccine, including a drive-thru clinic, late-night appointments at the Pinebush Road clinic and pop-ups in hard-hit areas of the community.

"Let's keep this momentum going."