As the Omicron variant continues to spread on a record-setting basis, the need to get people vaccinated grows more urgent, and Metrolinx and the Ontario government are partnering to knock off a few hundred shots at a time.
Since the summer, older-model GO buses have been retrofitted as mobile vaccination clinics to help boost vaccination numbers around the province, and they are making another two stops in Burlington at the end of this month.
As of Jan. 5, more than 27 million doses of approved COVID vaccines have been administered in the province, with a million of those in Halton Region alone.
78% of those eligible in the province (age 5 and up) are fully vaccinated, while Halton sits at a slightly higher number — 83% of those residents have had both of their shots, according to the provincial government’s website.
“The government is focusing all efforts to speed up booster doses, including employer-led vaccination clinics and expanded GO-VAXX mobile clinics,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “The government continues to expand its efforts to ensure that first, second, and booster doses are easily and conveniently accessible across the province.”
Even with a high vaccination rate in the area, it is obviously very important to get as many shots into as many arms as possible, as quickly as possible, and the GO-VAXX bus has the ability to do just that.
The mobile vaccination clinics can dish out about 320 mRNA vaccines per day, such as Moderna or Pfizer, all by appointment only.
Both businesses and municipalities can book the bus through an online application process, where they are asked questions such as how it will be promoted and if there is sufficient space for parking before any approval is made. The government also wants to make sure that there is an indoor washroom space for the drivers.
The first stop in Burlington came on Boxing Day. However, hundreds of people had to be turned away after the province pivoted to the appointment-only method to better handle the high demand.
It’s not known if Burlington Centre requested the bus that day or if it was sent there by the province, but Mayor Marianne Meed Ward capitalized on the opportunity to bring it back once she realized she could book it.
“Especially when I saw the demand at the GO-VAXX over the holidays,” said Meed Ward. “We know people are trying to get their booster. We know that it was very difficult for people to find a timely appointment, we thought that this was something that we can do as a city and proactively request that they send us the bus.”
As mentioned above, location plays a big factor in the approval process, but for Meed Ward, finding somewhere that wasn’t currently being used for any programming was also crucial. But as new/old restrictions were put in place, that element became moot.
Sherwood Forest Park became the designated spot and January 24 and 31 as the days to book your appointment for. The city also told the province that they could accommodate a bus every week, providing the bus is available.
But there is also high demand for qualified personnel put those shots in arms, and that demand isn’t being met.
“With the Omicron variant — and we’ve seen the impact on hospitals — there are staff and nurses that are out because of isolation or infection,” Meed Ward said.
“Absenteeism due to COVID is cutting across every city service and it’s certainly affecting public health as well.”
Booking for the GO-VAXX bus opens at 8 a.m. the day BEFORE and appointments usually fill up in about an hour. Once all appointments are booked, the GO-VAXX option will be removed from the provincial booking site.
Meed Ward says that the city is also discussing with the province two additional indoor vaccination clinics at their facilities and encourages everyone to continue to try and find an appointment however they can, including checking public health sites for cancellations.
