Toronto's Vaccine Rollout at Risk: 4 Clinics on the Chopping Block

Posted November 28, 2023 6:33 pm.

Last Updated November 28, 2023 6:46 pm.

Originally started during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Toronto is closing its four public immunization clinics on Dec. 13 as Ontario government funding expires at the end of 2023. Nick Westoll has more.

It’s been more than two years since the City of Toronto widely opened its COVID-19 vaccine clinics for bookings, but the municipality’s four remaining facilities are set to close.

Toronto Public Health officials announced its four clinics (Scarborough Town Centre, North York Civic Centre, Cloverdale Mall and Metro Hall) will be closing on Dec. 13. They said it’s being done because operational funding from the Ontario government as part of its COVID-19 response is expiring at the end of the year.

The move comes amid a recent, increased push to get COVID-19 boosters and influenza vaccines.

“The response has been tremendous and certainly our clinics have been fully booked for many, many weeks, and have had a steady flow of people,” Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto Public Health’s associate medical officer of health, told CityNews.

She noted the clinics in more recent months have expanded to provide a number of other shots, including ones students need at school such as HPV, hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccines.

Dubey said public health staff are trying to catch up on youth vaccinations not administered because they were redirected for COVID-19 response and during pandemic-related school closures.

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