Toronto COVID vaccine clinic to act as model for all Ontario

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At least initially, the Moderna vaccine will be administered at the clinic due to atemporary shortage of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

“There will be a playbook out of this,” said Tory, explaining that the lessons learned about the logistics of running such a clinic and organizing all the involved systems will be shared across the province.

“People have an intense desire to have this over with,” added the civic leader, who emphasized all levels of government are working together on COVID as a team.

He urged people to continue to stay home, limit their outings to the essentials and follow safety protocols, adding “then spring will be a much brighter time for us all.”

Toronto’s clinic in the Metro Convention Centre will open under the direction of the Ministry of Health and the Province of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force.

After the clinic has operated for six to eight weeks, the city will work with the province and hospital officials to produce a guide for setting up similar clinics across Ontario.

“People should have hope that immunization is on the horizon and vaccination is happening right here and right now in our city,” said Tory.

Toronto officials are treating the new clinic as a milestone, deciding to save the vial from the first vaccine given at the clinic to the city’s artifact collection.