Getting your flu shot in York Region could be different in a pandemic

Public health hopes to try new methods in preparation for COVID-19 vaccine

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 14, 2020
Kim Zarzour

York Region public health is gearing up for the prospect of mass immunizations on a never-seen-before scale.

As the race to find a COVID-19 vaccine continues around the world, local health authorities are looking at ways to deliver the goods when the time comes.

Dr. Karim Kurji, the region’s medical officer of health, told regional council this week he is piloting some innovative approaches to ensure everyone has access to the pandemic-stemming inoculation.

With flu season around the corner, and more people being advised to vaccinate against that bug to avoid overwhelming the health care system, Kurji hopes to try out some different approaches.

This fall, he said, he will consider running a couple of drive-through flu immunization clinics as well as a mass immunization clinic to learn and prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine when it comes along.

“It’s still not clear who will do the administration of COVID-19 vaccines but the assumption is that we would want to get it out as soon as possible to as many people as possible,” he said.

Public health is proposing to have drive-through mobile clinics in multiple locations within each municipality, in addition to other traditional methods, assuming there’s enough vaccine to go around, he said.

King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini said innovative delivery mechanisms are being developed locally, as well, referring to a King Township resident who is working on an epi-pen-style approach for immunizing on a widespread scale.

With the help of medical students, nursing students and pharmacy technicians, the region should be able to do 28,000 COVID-19 vaccinations a day, Kurji said.