City officials open Vax the Northwest COVID-19 mega-clinic in Toronto

Toronto officials officially opened a one-day COVID-19 vaccination mega-clinic in the city's northwest on Sunday.

Mayor John Tory says there are 1,000 appointments available at the city's Vax the Northwest event and the clinic has the capacity to vaccinate 400 people per hour. The clinic runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at York University's Aviva Centre.

Walk-ins are welcome, Tory told reporters inside the tennis stadium. The clinic is offering first, second, third and children's doses. It has 48 health care workers who are administrating Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

"What we are doing today is trying to vaccinate quite literally hundreds of people in the northwest," Tory said.

The mayor said there is a division in Toronto in terms of numbers of people vaccinated, with some neighbourhoods having vaccination rates of 80 per cent and higher and others having vaccination rates of 30 per cent and higher.

"That is not a prescription for keeping everybody, without exception, safe and healthy and that is why we are making a special effort to come to this part of the city, where there are some neighbourhoods that are under-vaccinated," he said.

The TTC is providing shuttles to the clinic from nine pick-up locations, including local shopping malls and recreation centres.

Tory said the clinic includes live music, toy and ticket giveaways and support dogs from the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides to make the vaccination experience more comfortable for residents. York University's mascot, Yeo the Lion, is also on hand.

The city, through its Team Toronto initiative, has administered 6.38 million doses in slightly more than a year, the mayor said.

Tory opened the clinic with the help of Coun. Joe Cressy, chair of the Toronto Board of Health, Coun. Anthony Perruzza, who represents Ward 7 Humber River—Black Creek, and Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce.

According to the city, more than 90 per cent of Toronto residents have one vaccine dose, more than 87 per cent have two doses and more than 53 per cent have three doses.