This news came in late Saturday evening and is the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, the operations of the EOC; links to book your appointment and the operational hours at community clinics.
Integrated City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health Emergency Operations Centre:
Effective December 13, 2021, the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) escalated back to Activated Operations to manage City-wide support to the Ottawa Public Health-led COVID-19 vaccine rollout initiative. This was in response to the City’s need to increase capacity for third dose vaccinations, which provide an important public health mitigation measure against the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
However, on December 16, 2021, the City and Ottawa Public Health made the decision to merge operations into an integrated Emergency Operations Centre. The new Emergency Operations Centre will coordinate a safe and efficient administration of COVID-19 vaccine, as well as prepare, mitigate, and respond to the projected surge in the number of COVID-19 cases related to Omicron. The EOC will continue to convene remotely.
Provincial Announcements:
The Province announced that effective December 20 at 8 am, all individuals aged 18 and over (born in 2003 or earlier) can book a third dose (booster) appointment. Individuals can receive a booster 84 days (approximately three months) after their second dose.
Operational Planning:
Surge plans have been developed and implemented to allocate additional vaccine appointments at community clinics; however, work to increase capacity will be on-going over the course of the next several days and even weeks. It has been especially challenging to recruit a significant number of immunizers in short order.
Over the last week, OPH with the support of the City’s EOC and many partners, has managed to double vaccination capacity. This weekend, the EY Centre has been added as an additional community clinic, providing the opportunity for an additional 2,700 appointments per day.
To achieve this ramp up, a number of resources have been mobilized. This has included but is not limited to the City of Ottawa’s Emergency Operations Centre, facility management, information technology services, Security services, and By-Law Ambassadors. In addition, Ottawa Public Health has paused core work to redeploy staff to these efforts. The Emergency Operations Centre is also working with external partners including pharmacies, primary care providers, and the Ottawa Hospital, among others, to explore all possibilities to increase vaccination capacity as quickly as possible.
Weekend Operations:
Saturday, December 18, 2021 and Sunday, December 19, 2021: Community Clinic Operations (noting first and last appointment times)
- Eva James Memorial Centre (65 Stonehaven Dr.) – 7:45 am to 8:10 pm
- EY Centre (4899 Uplands Dr.) – 7:45 am to 8:10 pm
- JH Putman School (2051 Bel-Air Dr.) – 9:45 am to 4:10 pm
- Nepean Sportsplex Curling Rink (1701 Woodroffe Ave.) – 9:45 am to 4:10 pm
- Rideauview Community Centre (4310 Shore Line Dr.) – 9:45 am to 4:10 pm
- Ruddy Family YMCA/YWCA (265 Centrum Boul.) – 9:45 am to 4:10 pm
- St. Patrick’s Intermediate School (1486 Heron Rd.) – 7:45 am to 8:10 pm
- University of Ottawa Minto Sportsplex (801 King Edward Ave.) – 7:45 am to 8:10 pm
Demand for vaccine appointments is extremely high and we are doing everything we can to open more appointments, increase capacity and vaccinate everyone who is eligible as soon as possible. COVID-19 vaccine is available for those eligible for first, second or third doses at any community clinic in Ottawa during their hours of operation. Drop-in availability is limited for first and second doses. Appointments are recommended. Appointments are required for third doses.
You can use the online provincial booking system or call the Provincial booking system at 1-833-943-3900 (TTY 1-866-797-0007) to schedule an appointment at your local community clinic.
Various other locations offer the vaccine in Ottawa such as select pharmacies, clinics for Inuit populations, mobile vaccine clinics for workplaces and the Kids Come First Health Team vaccination clinics. Learn more about the upcoming after-school COVID-19 vaccination clinics and other options for vaccinating five to 11-year-olds.
To date, over 121,000 third doses have been administered to Ottawa residents. On Monday, 634,000 people in Ottawa 18 years and older will be eligible for a third dose.
We ask residents of Ottawa for their patience and understanding this weekend and in the following days as we work as fast as possible to meet the demand. The reality is that on Monday for the newly eligible 18+ population, there will likely be no or very few appointments available. Please follow Ottawa Public Health announcements on our website and on social media for the latest information on available appointments.
As a reminder, the OPH stakeholder relations mailbox remains available for any general public health and vaccine safety related inquiries including case management, testing and mental health.