P.E.I. to open mass vaccination clinics in Charlottetown and Summerside on Monday

P.E.I.'s first mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics start up on Monday.

Locations in Charlottetown andSummerside are ready toallow more people to get vaccinated while maintaining physical distancing.

The province says these clinics will allow them to vaccinate about 1,500 Islanders total per day.

"We're set up to double the size of our existing clinics for the first week this clinic is running, and then we'll be doubling it again," Marion Dowling, P.E.I.'s chief of nursing, said from the new Charlottetown location.

The Charlottetown vaccine clinic ismovingto the Eastlink Centre from the Sherwood Business Centreand the Summerside clinic is movingto the Holland College building on Water Street from the County Fair Mall. Centres in Montague and O'Leary have also been able to expand to allow for what's needed in those communities, Dowling said.

Dowlingsaidthe new clinics will allow the province to get vaccineinto arms as quickly as possible.

"We were restricted by limited space in our two locations in Charlottetown and Summerside for the volume of vaccine that we are now receiving and ready to get out to Islanders," she said.

More than 20,000 doses so far

According to CBC's vaccine tracker, 20,258 doses have been administered to Islanders so far, with 6,139 people, or 3.84 per cent of the population, completely vaccinated after receiving a second dose.

The goal is to have all eligible adults, totalling about 104,000 Islanders,receiveat least one dose of vaccine by the end of June.

Islanders mustbook appointments in advance.

On Monday, people age 65 to 69 can make appointments for the first time.

The dates will be booked by birth month:

• Starting Monday for those born in January to March.
• Starting Tuesday for those born in April to June.
• Starting Wednesday for those born in July to September.
• Starting Thursday forthose born in October to December.

The mass vaccination clinics are for the Pfizer-BioNTechand Moderna vaccines, as opposed to the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which is being distributed in pharmacies to younger Islanders who must work with the public.

Interest has been strong regardless of age group, Dowling said.

"We're not seeing a lot of hesitancy forgetting the vaccine on P.E.I., which is excellent," shesaid. "That is what we want. So we haven't needed to do much promotion to support this. People are anxious to get their time, to know when it's their turn to call and book their appointment, and when they can come."