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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.