Second dose dash continues in Ottawa as risk of COVID-19 variant increases
There is a push to speed up second doses across Ontario as the Delta variant continues to spread.
On Saturday, hundreds of people received their first and second doses at pop-up sites in Ottawa.
"It’s all about getting as many of the doses to as many of our citizens as fast as possible, period," said Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an Ottawa critical and palliative care doctor.
The weekend push in the capital comes as accelerated second dose booking eligibility is set to open further on Monday to adults who received their first dose before May 9.
"We need everybody to get their second doses. This is a big push to get everybody immunized as fast as we can," said family physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, who organized her fourth pop-up clinic in the Glebe Saturday.
The initiative, dubbed 'Jabapalooza', saw nearly 600 people get a vaccine, most of which were second doses.
"Almost everybody who’s here, they got their first shot from us at one of the first Jabapaloza’s," said Dr. Kaplan-Myrth. "Some of these people are the essential workers who we had reached out to before to say come to us and we’ll give you your vaccine."
In Ottawa's west end, a pop-up clinic at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre filled up quickly, fully booked by 10 a.m.
First and second doses were offered there to residents from 21 high risk neighbourhoods designated by Ottawa Public Health.
This comes as Ottawa gets set to open five new mass vaccination clinics on Monday, thanks to an influx of Moderna vaccines from the province. Hundreds of new appointments were available online Saturday evening.
"The strategy is sound, we know the vaccines are effective against the variant, there is reasons for optimism, there is reasons to think we can see that light at the end of the tunnel," said Dr. Kyeremanteng.
As of Friday, 75 percent of adults in the capital had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
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.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.