SWPH to Start Offering Walk-In Appointments at Mass Vaccination Clinics

Monday, 19 July 2021 14:27

Starting today, walk-in appointments will be available at the mass vaccination clinics in Woodstock, Tillsonburg and St. Thomas.

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC HEALTH - Starting today, the mass vaccination clinics from Southwestern Public Health will start accepting walk-in appointments.

Walk-in appointments are now available at the sites in Woodstock, St. Thomas and Tillsonburg. Starting on July 23, the Tillsonburg clinic will transition to a Friday only site, to reflect the ongoing demand for Friday appointments in Tillsonburg. This will continue for the month of August, and then they will close the Tillsonburg site.

SWPH CEO Cynthia St. John says the Oxford County EMS has been working alongside Southwestern Public Health to staff the Tillsonburg clinic and have committed to support the team at Woodstock-Goff Hall moving forward.

"Oxford County EMS has been an exceptional partner in our efforts to vaccinate residents in the Southwestern Public Health region. We could not have done this as quickly and efficiently without their support."

The Health Unit plans on having more pop up clinics in the region and they will be extending the hours in Woodstock from a 4:30 p.m. closure to 6:30 p.m. Local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock says these changes are in addition to provincial plans to increase vaccine availability at pharmacies and primary care by early fall.

"Scaling down a mass vaccination clinic is a positive indicator that we are nearing the end of the urgent COVID-19 vaccination campaign in our region. We now need to focus our attention on reaching those who have barriers to accessing vaccine through our current clinic formats, and transition to a more traditional vaccination model that will take into account time of day, easy access to appointments, and pharmacy and primary care ramping up their services."

Anyone who has an appointment booked in Tillsonburg after July 23 can reschedule their appointment online at www.covidvaccineLM.ca or at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9 from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday.

Southwestern Public Health will also begin contacting individuals who have appointments in August, September, or October to assist with rescheduling efforts.