Spring 2021 Vaccination clinic visitors – and our readers – may be ready to see the last of COVID-19
“It’s like going to Disney but for a vaccination.” That was a comment from one of the thousands of grateful community members who received their COVID-19 shot this spring at the U of G vaccination clinic run in partnership with the Guelph Family Health Team (GFHT).
Not that the clinic, which opened in the University Centre courtyard March 16, was offering the thrill of an amusement park ride, but that it was operated with efficiency and friendliness.
By mid-April, the U of G clinic had vaccinated 12,500 people, helping Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reach its goal of providing at least one dose of a vaccine to 25 per cent of eligible residents in the region by that point.
By then, the clinic was vaccinating about 600 people a day, with plans to reach at least 800 daily injections into the summer months, says Ed Townsley, executive director of Hospitality Services and vaccination clinic manager. He expected total vaccinations at the U of G clinic to reach about 60,000 people by the end of June.
The weekday clinic is staffed by members of the GFHT and U of G’s Hospitality Services along with University and community volunteers.
About 200 students, staff, faculty, retirees and community members have since assisted regularly. Says Townsley: “They really believe it’s the right thing for the University of Guelph to do.”