Ford tours new vaccine clinic as Ontario ramps up boosters to meet 300K doses per day goal

Ontario Premier Doug Ford toured a new mass vaccination clinic on Christmas Eve working to accelerate boosters in the fight against the Omicron variant.

The International Centre in Mississauga is able to handle administering 19,000 doses a day and is open seven days a week.

Ford said the province is ramping up the number of shots with the hope of reaching a goal of 300,000 doses a day. On Dec. 22, the province said 253, 000 doses were administered.

“I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays, and we’re going to get through this. So God bless everyone,” said Ford from inside the clinic.

Most slots at the clinic are to accommodate appointment bookings, but there are a limited number of walk-in spaces available, which led to a long line of people outside the centre for hours.

“Chaotic, but I think we all need to be patient, just be lucky we have them here and have access to them,” said Ajet Grober, who arrived to wait at 7 a.m.

Some people in line complained about being cold and suggested there be a proper place to warm up.

Many in line said they first went online for a booking but decided to try their chances and get the shot earlier.

“I just wanted to get something quicker. I have an appointment which is like way far away but I just wanted to make sure I can get something faster as things are getting worse by the hour,” Sue Kohli said.

As cases skyrocket in Ontario, more than 9,500 on Friday, many are feeling the urgency for more protection.

“We just tried because we have appointments in January and February. So we’re trying to get it as soon as possible to defend the Omicron,” said Alex Chan as he was waiting in line for the booster.

While some early studies have shown the Omicron variant to be more mild that other COVID-19 variants. Experts are being very cautious about what it may mean for individuals and what may happen next in the pandemic.

“That would be amazing if this turns out to be a less virulent version of this virus. On the other hand we are seeing a huge number of reported cases and we know those numbers reported are a huge underestimate,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist in Toronto.