Team Toronto ready to kick off Vax The East at Ontario Science Centre and Thorncliffe Park Community Hub

February 10, 2022, Team Toronto ready to kick off Vax The East at Ontario Science Centre and Thorncliffe Park Community Hub

Starting this Saturday, Team Toronto is on a 10-day mission to vaccinate as many Toronto residents living in the east of the city as possible through Vax The East. To help residents get to and from Vax The East clinics, Team Toronto has once again partnered with the TTC to offer 12 dedicated, accessible courtesy shuttles with approximately 40 pick-up locations serving Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park and Taylor-Massey neighbourhoods this weekend.

From 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, Vax The East: Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park will offer two hyper-local, family-friendly and safe COVID-19 vaccination clinics administering first, second, third and kids’ (paediatric) doses to all eligible residents.

One clinic will take place at the Ontario Science Centre (770 Don Mills Rd.) – a popular attraction in the Flemingdon Park community. The second clinic will take place in the established vaccination clinic in the Thorncliffe Park Community Hub at East York Town Centre (45 Overlea Blvd.) that has been an anchor for neighbourhood vaccination. The low-barrier clinics will offer kid-friendly activities and a safe space for the whole family to experience science in action and get vaccinated close to home.

Walk-ins are welcome and health cards are not required to be vaccinated at the Vax The East: Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park clinics. Appointments are available in the provincial booking system, https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ (search by home postal code), or by calling 1-833-943-3900. Clinics will be fully accessible. More information is available on the Michael Garron Hospital website www.tehn.ca/VaxTheEast.

In the spirit of fun, adventure and discovery, both clinics will offer family fun and kid-friendly activities, as well as a “certificate of bravery” for children ages five to 11. The Thorncliffe Park Community Hub clinic will have a kid-approved balloon artist and a fun glitter tattoo application for kids in the clinic, while the Ontario Science Centre will showcase kid-friendly, do-it-yourself science videos for families.

Thanks to the generosity of partners, clinics will have giveaways throughout the weekend including gas gift cards, N95 masks, disinfectant wipes, Ontario Science Centre-themed giveaways, Dentonia Golf Course passes and a limited number of passes to the Ontario Science Centre and the Aga Khan Museum for use at a later date.

Vax The East: Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park by the numbers:
•       Hundreds of appointments over two days
•       200 vaccines per hour
•       50 volunteers
•       90 vaccinators
•       12 dedicated, accessible TTC shuttles
•       Six lead partner organizations with support from other community agencies
•       Four incredible support dogs from Lions Foundation of Canada
•       Two clinics to inspire the inner scientist in everyone
•       One weekend kicking off 10 days of Vax The East vaccination progress

Team Toronto, together with healthcare and community partners, continues to work hard to bring COVID-19 vaccines into neighbourhoods with lower vaccination rates and provide equitable access to vaccine information, including for residents who speak languages other than English.

Vax The East: Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park clinic information is available in Urdu, Gujarati, Dari, Farsi, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Bengali, Slovak, Tigrinya and Amharic. At the clinics, a number of community ambassadors, clinic staff and volunteers will be multilingual and may be able to translate for those who need interpretation. As always, people attending the clinics are welcome to bring a support person to help with translation or any other needs.

Accommodations are possible for those who need assistance during their visit, including seniors, individuals with mobility supports and special needs, and people with young children. Privacy rooms will be available upon request.

Through Vaccine Engagement Teams and community health partners, ambassadors are reaching out to local residents directly this week to help book appointments and share translated flyers with clinic and vaccine information in multiple languages. The City’s VaxTO program is also sending broadcast voice messages to thousands of local residents to promote the clinics and provide access to vaccination information. While outreach efforts will be focused on Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park communities, eligible residents from across Toronto are welcome.

To ensure local residents have an easy, accessible way to get to the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park clinics, residents will have access to 12 dedicated, accessible TTC courtesy shuttles serving local neighbourhoods. More information on shuttles, including pick-up locations, is available on the Michael Garron Hospital website: www.tehn.ca/VaxTheEast.

Upon arrival at the Ontario Science Centre, residents are asked to head to the school groups entrance at the south end of the building. Free limited parking is available in the South Lot via Gateway Boulevard. Thorncliffe Park Community Hub is located at East York Town Centre. Free parking is available at the centre.

Following this weekend’s clinics in Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park, Vax The East: Scarborough will launch on February 14 through February 21, with mobile vaccination clinics in schools across Scarborough. Mobile teams will visit five to six schools per day, with the goal of vaccinating children staff and their families in locations where they live and work. Vaccines will also be available for the local community outside of school hours. More information on the clinics will be available at www.scarbvaccine.ca.

The Vax The East campaign will run from February 12 to 21 to bring COVID-19 vaccines close to home for residents in Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, and across Scarborough. Vax The East is a collaboration between the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health, Michael Garron Hospital, East Toronto Health Partners, Scarborough Health Network, Scarborough Ontario Health Team partners, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, TTC, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Team Toronto partners to support communities with lower COVID-19 vaccination rates.

More information about vaccination options across the city is available on the City’s COVID-19: How to Get Vaccinated webpage: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-how-to-get-vaccinated/.

More details about Vax The East media opportunities will be shared tomorrow and next week.

Those looking for the latest updates are encouraged to follow #VaxTheEast for updates from Vax The East partners and @CityofToronto, the City’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/cityoftoronto.

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture, and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit www.toronto.ca or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CityofToronto, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofto.

Thanks to Press Release

City of Toronto Media Relations