Beginning Thursday, July 8, the City of Toronto is making walk-in vaccinations available at the Toronto Congress Centre COVID-19 vaccine clinic. From this Thursday to Sunday, approximately 2,000 vaccinations will be available each day for walk-in clients. Walk-in vaccinations are open to anyone age 18 or older to receive a first or second dose mRNA vaccine.
Walk-ins will be accepted from noon to 7 p.m. daily at the City’s Toronto Congress Centre clinic only. All city-operated vaccination clinics administer the Moderna mRNA vaccine to everyone age 18 and older. The City will be evaluating the effectiveness of the walk-in program and will consider expanding walk-in appointments to other City-operated vaccination clinics based on clinic capacity and appointment availability.
OHIP health cards are not required for walk-in vaccination appointments. Residents without OHIP cards are asked to bring another form of identification with them to the clinic.
Depending on demand, people arriving without appointments may be lined up outside the clinic with spacing for physical distancing and staff providing line management. With warm weather continuing and rain forecast for Thursday, walk-ins are asked to prepare appropriately for a short wait outdoors.
There are also appointments available for the Toronto Congress Centre clinic through the provincial booking system. Vaccination appointments at the clinic generally take less than 30 minutes from start to finish with no waiting in line.
The Toronto Congress Centre vaccination clinic is located at 650 Dixon Rd. in Hall F. There is free parking available at the clinic. Transit users can take the TTC bus routes 52A, 52B, 52D, 352 or 46. For people coming from downtown, TTC bus routes connect at locations including the Weston GO Transit and UP Express station and Lawrence West Station. Maps and information about clinic amenities are available on the City’s COVID-19: How to Get Vaccinated webpage.
The City is urging everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including a second dose to best protect against the Delta variant, as soon as possible. Everyone age 12 and older is eligible to book a first dose or an accelerated second dose. People with a scheduled second dose appointment later in the year should reschedule for as soon as possible to ensure they are protecting themselves and the wider community against the Delta variant.
People who are fully vaccinated are asked to reach out to family and friends who may be hesitant about vaccination or the “mixed mRNA model” second dose of Pfizer or Moderna. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are incredibly similar with near identical efficacy rates and a “mixed mRNA model” is approved by both the federal and provincial governments. People can also easily connect to resources including vaccine appointment bookings and information on vaccines by texting “VACCINE” to 1-833-750-0888 or 833-750-0888.
Appointments for City-run immunization clinics can be booked by residents through the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button on toronto.ca/covid-19 or by calling the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900.
Toronto Public Health is reporting 27 new cases of COVID-19 in Toronto since June 30. Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 170,068 cases of COVID-19. There are 68 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 3,576 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 166,123 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on Toronto Public Health’s reporting dashboard.
Quotes:
“There has never been an easier time to get vaccinated at a City clinic. If you still need a first dose or are eligible for an accelerated second dose, please show up. Please protect yourself, your loved ones and your community from COVID-19 and the emerging Delta variant by getting vaccinated. It’s the only way we’ll be able to put the pandemic behind us.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Vaccines are our best defense against COVID-19 and the Delta variant. By opening up walk-ins at our City-run immunization clinic at the Toronto Congress Centre, we’re making it easier for people to come down to the Centre and get their first or second dose on-the-spot. By getting fully vaccinated with two shots, Torontonians are doing their part to helping keep themselves, their loved ones, and our city safe.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Toronto Board of Health
“Getting fully vaccinated is our best protection against COVID-19 and its variants, and our way forward out of this pandemic. We continue to make great progress in our vaccination efforts, thanks to Torontonians who are rolling up their sleeves to protect our community, and the tireless commitments of our Team Toronto health partners. There are many vaccine appointments available and I encourage all residents to get their first and second dose of vaccine as soon as possible, in whichever way is most convenient.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health
“From the outset of City-operated COVID-19 vaccine clinic operations, we have continued to expand and refine clinic operations to ensure that as many people as possible are able to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as very soon as possible. The introduction of our walk-in vaccine program is another enhancement to these services, enabled by the continuing enhanced supply of vaccine.”
– Fire Chief Matthew Pegg, General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management and COVID-19 Incident Commander
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.
Please note, this news release was updated on July 8, 2021 to reflect that residents without OHIP health cards do not need to create a “proxy ID” in the provincial vaccine system before a walk-in vaccination. The release was updated to reflect residents without OHIP cards need only to bring another form of identification to the clinic when attending for a walk-in appointment.