Scotiabank Arena becoming COVID-19 vaccine pop-up next weekend; 10,000 doses available
Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena will become a COVID-19 vaccination clinic next Sunday for one day only in a bid by the city to get second doses to more people and break a Canadian record for daily doses administered in one place.
Toronto officials say the basketball and hockey arena will be a vaccination site on June 27, with hopes for 10,000 or more doses administered.
“Clinic partners, led by University Health Network and Michael Garron Hospital, are planning to vaccinate more than 10,000 people on Sunday, in order to break the Canadian single day clinic record,” officials said in a statement issued on Monday.
As of Monday morning, anyone in Ontario who received a COVID-19 vaccine first dose on May 9 or earlier is eligible for an accelerated second dose.
As of Wednesday morning, anyone in 10 public health regions of Ontario including Toronto that received a first COVID-19 vaccine dose on May 30 or earlier is eligible to receive a second dose.
Eligible people can book appointments at the Arena here.
"We’re really putting a big push on with the second doses, because that’s going to be the key to safely reopening the city, making sure that as many people as possible have their second dose," Mayor John Tory told CP24 on Monday.
Scotiabank Arena is largely idle at the moment, as the Toronto Raptors played games from Florida and did not make the postseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in round one of the NHL playoffs and concerts of any size indoors are not yet permitted in Ontario.
Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign has required convention centres, parking lots, places of worship, arenas, community centres and even a strip club be used to administer vaccines.
Earlier in the pandemic, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment offered the venue’s sizeable catering capability to hospitals in order to feed healthcare workers.
Those attending will receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine if they are adults, with Pfizer reserved for youth ages 12-17.
“If you need a first dose or a second dose, please book your appointment for this record-breaking clinic,” Tory said Monday. “Taking part in Toronto Vaccine Day is a win-win. You'll be a part of history and you'll be protecting yourself, your family and our city's progress in fighting COVID-19."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Next 48 hours will be 'extremely challenging' for B.C. wildfire crews near Fort Nelson: officials
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
Southern Ont. man charged with attempted murder in Timmins shooting
One of two men wanted for attempted murder in Timmins has been arrested, while a warrant has been issued for a second suspect, who fled police on foot.