There will be several walk-in vaccine clinics at local schools throughout the region this week.
During a recent media briefing, the Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit, Dr. Kit Young Hoon, provided information as to who will be able to access these upcoming walk-in clinics.
Dr. Young Hoon defined who would be able to consent to get the vaccine “With any medical procedure or medical treatment, the patient is required to provide consent that they understand the risks and benefits of that procedure or treatment and that they agree to have it, and the same applies to vaccines.”
She later clarified at what age children can generally give consent “For vaccines, those aged 12-17 are generally considered able and capable of providing consent, they just need to be able to understand the information.”
“If they can’t understand the information or it is perceived that they don't really understand what they are being told, based on the judgment of the healthcare professional working with that client or patient, in those situations, it is the person most responsible for the individual who we would then approach to get consent, so for children, that would be the parents,” said Dr. Young Hoon
For these clinics, anyone aged 12+ (in 2021) can receive their first dose. If you have already received your first dose, you can get your second dose as long as you meet the wait time requirements which are as follows:
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Pfizer at least 21 days ago
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Moderna at least 28 days ago
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AstraZeneca at least 56 days (8 weeks) ago
Specific locations and times for these walk-in clinics are available on the Northwestern Health Unit website. For these clinics, you can pre-register on their website or just walk in.