St. Catharines finally gets educator-specific COVID-19 vaccine clinic

Earlier this week, St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens decried the fact that teachers, school staff and childcare workers had to drive 100 kilometres down the highway to Mississauga for educator-specific COVID-19 vaccine clinics.

With schools reopening on Monday (January 17), Stevens said the province wasn’t exactly making it easy to get vaccinations or booster shots for education workers in the Niagara Region.

“While we appreciate the effort being made to set up accelerated booster appointments for education workers in the GTA, it is not reasonable to expect working teachers and education staff to get on the highway to drive long distances to get their booster,” Stevens said to Education Minister Stephen Lecce in a letter.

To that end, Loblaws pharmacies have stepped up to fill the void. Tomorrow (January 14) from 4 pm to 9 pm, a handful of their pharmacies will hold educator-specific clinics in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe regions.

One will be held at the Real Canadian Superstore in Ridley Market, 411 Louth Street in St. Catharines (905-984-4159).

For teachers and childcare workers in the west end of Niagara Region (Grimsby, Lincoln and West Lincoln), there will be three in Hamilton (Fortinos at 65 Mall Road – 905-574-5939; Fortinos at 75 Centennial Parkway North – 905-561-1529 and Fortinos at 1579 Main Street West – 905-308-9339), as well as one in Burlington (Fortinos at 1059 Plains Road East – 905-634-2739).

Phone numbers have been provided because all appointments must be booked with the pharmacies.

“For the past two years pharmacists have played an important role, supporting public health priorities in the fight against COVID. Right now, teachers are a major priority as they return to school,” said Ashesh Desai, Executive Vice President, Pharmacy and Healthcare, Loblaw Companies Limited.

“These clinics will make appointments more accessible and convenient for those who need them to help keep our schools safe.”

All pharmacy clinics will have Moderna available. In order to receive a vaccine, teachers and education workers will need to provide their board ID or proof of employer.