Mass vaccination site re-opens in Leamington

LEAMINGTON — The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), in partnership with the Municipality of Leamington and the County of Essex, has reopened a mass vaccination clinic at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre (formerly Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex).

The clinic opened today, Wednesday, January 5 and will have appointments available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The clinic will be providing first, second and third doses. Appointments will be required and drop-ins are not permitted at this time. Booking of appointments began on December 29. For booking information and additional information on eligibility, visit www.WEVax.ca or call 226-773-2200.

“I am extremely proud of our Leamington residents that have stepped up to become fully vaccinated over the last year. However, our work isn’t done,” said Mayor Hilda MacDonald. “We need everyone who is eligible to get their booster shot as soon as possible, and the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre is a great convenient place to do just that. Please go online and book appointments for you and your family as soon as you can.”

The gymnasium at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre will once again host a mass vaccination clinic. The clinic opened in March of last year and closed in August as demand dwindled.

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“Health care workers across the region are ramping up their efforts and working double-time over the holiday season to get vaccines in as many arms as possible in response to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant,” said Warden Gary McNamara. “Please, help our health care heroes help you by getting vaccinated, getting your booster as soon as you are eligible and helping ensure elderly friends or family members get their booster as well.”

As part of the efforts to provide more vaccination clinics in the County of Essex, the WECHU, in partnership with the Community Response and Stabilization Team (a partnership between Erie Shores HealthCare and Essex-Windsor EMS), and the Town of Kingsville is also working with employers of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in the agricultural sector to provide an upcoming series of COVID-19 vaccine clinics. These clinics are specifically designed to provide vaccination to TFWs working and living in Windsor and Essex County. Direct communication has already occurred with the employers. For more information on this initiative, call 519-258-2146 and dial 6.

“The ultimate goal is to get as many people living in our community vaccinated to help reduce the impact of the virus,” said Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos. “A clinic dedicated to Temporary Foreign Workers is an ideal way to ensure there is enough capacity for our entire community, including those most vulnerable.”

“We observed firsthand at our pop-up clinics the demand for third dose boosters in our community,” said Erie Shores HealthCare President and CEO Kristin Kennedy, who continued, “This enhanced model will provide much needed vaccination capacity.”

COVID-19 vaccines are also available at local participating pharmacies, the Devonshire Mall mass vaccination site (by appointment), Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre and through participating healthcare providers, and at community pop-up vaccination clinics. Third dose appointments are available for those over the age of 18 and must be scheduled three months (or 84 days) after a second dose.

Please do not attend your appointment or a vaccination clinic if you are sick or have been asked to self-isolate. If you do not have a health card, you can still get a vaccine by presenting another form of a government issued-photo identification.