City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health and Team Toronto continue to remove barriers to make COVID-19 vaccines as easy and accessible as possible to all residents. Today, Mayor John Tory and Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa and Board of Health Chair Joe Cressy announced the expansion of the Team Toronto Mobile Strategy to increase vaccinations. This data-driven approach will continue to bring vaccines to residents in areas and settings that have low vaccination coverage, or high risk of contracting COVID-19 or both.
In addition to the clinics currently run by Team Toronto healthcare partners this expansion will provide Toronto Public Health the capacity to host up to 200 mobile clinics each week. The mobile clinics will focus on:
These efforts are being planned in consultation with our vaccination partners and being guided by our vaccine coverage data, alongside input from provincial and local community partners about where there is greatest need to boost vaccine coverage.
Toronto Public Health and healthcare partners have already held several mobile vaccination campaigns at schools, TTC stations, post-secondary residences and malls with success. This week, Toronto Public Health and its Team Toronto partners will be holding over 100 clinics across the city including a number that are open to the public:
Toronto Public Health also continues to work closely with our community partners to understand and remove barriers – accounting for why people are hesitant or unable to get vaccinated – and to meet community needs to encourage residents to get vaccinated. The City continues to support the work of community consortiums, vaccine engagement teams and the many community ambassadors who continue to be effective in peer-to-peer, placed-based engagement of residents. Community ambassadors are providing hands on, active follow up with community members, including many areas of the city with low vaccination coverage, assisting them to navigate registrations systems, correct misinformation, direct community members to clinics, and sharing information about additional community resources.
Community settings, organizations and workplaces are also encouraged to request a mobile vaccination clinic for their setting. Individuals can submit a request on behalf of their setting on Toronto Public Health’s website here: COVID-19: How to Get Vaccinated
More than 4,560,374 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the City of Toronto. 76.6 per cent of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 82.9 per cent of eligible residents have received at least one vaccine dose.
COVID-19 vaccines remain the best protection against the virus and have been proven to decrease the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death. Given the recent increase in cases across Ontario, residents are urged to initiate their vaccination, or get their second dose as soon as possible, and to continue following public health measures, including staying home when sick, practising physical distancing and wearing a mask when physical distancing is not possible.
Quote(s)
“We are doing everything we can as a municipal government to help people get vaccinated. The expanded Team Toronto Mobile Strategy is focused on bringing vaccines directly to residents in neighbourhoods where we know they are needed. This data driven approach will help us continue the success we have had getting people vaccinated and ensure even more residents have as much protection as possible from COVID-19 and the Delta variant.”
– Toronto Mayor John Tory
“Break down every barrier to vaccination: that’s always been our commitment. This phase of our Team Toronto vaccination approach is a hyper local, data-driven strategy to bring shots right to where people are – their work, school, and community centre, but also their grocery store, mall, and bus station. With up to 200 mobile vaccine clinics operating every week and a targeted focus on areas with low vaccination rates, we’re helping Torontonians can get vaccinated just outside their front door.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health
“Mobile and community vaccination clinics continue to play a crucial role in reducing barriers for Toronto residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine quickly and as efficiently as possible. I cannot stress this enough – the vaccine is your best protection against COVID-19 and its more infectious Delta variant, and will make a difference in how the fourth wave plays out. If you know someone who may be hesitant, please talk to them about the benefits of getting vaccinated, or encourage them to talk to a trusted health professional such as their physician or nurse practitioner.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health
“The expansion of Team Toronto’s mobile vaccination effort will continue to bring vaccine to where it is most convenient and accessible to everyone. Partnerships across our communities and health system partners will be a critical enabler of this hyper local approach”
– Shiran Isaacksz, Co-Chair – Community Vaccination Table, Vice President, University Health Network
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 the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.