COVID-19 vaccine clinic for healthcare workers opening at St. Catharines arena

A St. Catharines arena is opening as a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for healthcare workers.

The clinic will be running from the Seymour Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre starting Wednesday.

The current clinic at the St. Catharines hospital was opened as a temporary site when the Pfizer vaccine could not be transported between locations.

The province has since provided guidance to allow for safe transport of the vaccine to offsite clinics.

“It’s a larger location than the temporary structure we originally opened at our St. Catharines Site. We’re using a full rink at the arena, as well as space in the main atrium,” said Linda Boich with Niagara Health.

“Because it’s a larger space, we’re able to maximize our physical distancing efforts and vaccinate more people each day.”

The new clinic will have 20 vaccination booths, 60 post-vaccination monitoring spots and a dedicated entrance and exit.

Niagara Health’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic vaccinated 2,417 highest-risk healthcare workers between Jan. 13 and Jan. 20.

When the clinic reopens at the arena, vaccinations will be available by appointment only for healthcare workers, using the province’s risk-based framework.

The hospital’s clinic is separate from mass immunization for the general public. That is being coordinated by Public Health and is not yet in operation.