A First Look Inside the Goff Hall Vaccination Clinic

Friday, 12 March 2021 11:35

Southwestern Public Health offered a first glimpse yesterday into the mass vaccination clinic at Goff Hall in Woodstock.

WOODSTOCK - The media was given a first look inside the mass vaccination clinic at Goff Hall in Woodstock on Thursday.

They will start with only 1,100 appointments next week with hours between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Program Manager Mary Van Den Neucker says they wanted to start off slow on the first day with only 100 appointments.

"We will be looking to expanding the hours of the clinic and also the days, so we will start doing the clinics on the weekend and longer hours during the day."

Van Den Neucker says they want to start having pop up vaccination clinics all across the County.

"As the vaccines are coming, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson, it will open the opportunity to expand into other regions because some of the other vaccines are more portable than what the Phizer vaccine is."

The Health Unit couldn't provide a timeline for when more pop up clinics may happen. It would be a 5 hour trip for a senior from Tillsonburg as an example to take public transit to get a vaccine, which is a major cause for concern with only two clinics in the Southwestern Public Health region right now in Woodstock and St. Thomas.

Van Den Neucker says the first round of vaccines next week are going to seniors 80 and over and Indigenous adults 55 and over. She says the next round of bookings will start on Monday morning for the same cohort.

"So they can call to book an appointment or go online to book an appointment."

The week of March 21st they will have 5,000 appointments available again for seniors 80 and older and Indigenous adults 55 and over. The Health Unit has also expanded phase one vaccines to the following groups.

- Adults aged 16+ who are recipients of chronic home care. Those eligible will be given appointment booking details from their home care provider.
- Frontline health care workers in select outpatient and ambulatory areas as outlined at www.swpublichealth.ca/eligibility. Those eligible will be given appointment booking details from their workplace.
- Laboratory services. Those eligible will be given appointment booking details from their workplace.

The Health Unit is reminding eligible people to not call Public Health, your primary care provided or arrive at the vaccine clinics to book an appointment. You can find more information on how to book your appointment online here or by calling 1-800-922-0096 ext. 1444.

(UPDATE: An important correction for the community: Our video shows the wrong door to enter after your vaccination. The vaccine clinic has one-way traffic flow, so please do not go backward through to the registration and screening area after you have been vaccinated. The staff on-site will direct you where to go after your vaccination if you have questions. Heart FM apologizes for any confusion.)