School pop-up clinics target neighbourhoods where vaccination rate lagging
The Thames Valley District School Board released dates and locations for pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics, and announced it is ending the 'quadmester' model for high school students.
The Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) is teaming up with local school boards to expand opportunities for COVID-19 vaccination.
The pop-up clinics will be launched inside several schools across London and Middlesex County starting next week.
“The clinics are open to anyone, but we are first sending the booking information to families of children in those schools to give them a bit of a head start,” says MLHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie.
Mackie explains that COVID-19 infections hit some communities and neighbourhoods in the region harder than others, and now some of those same areas are lagging behind in vaccination rates.
In general, communities where residents have more free time and access to vehicles have higher vaccination rates than those without.
Evening out vaccination rates across the region is critical to avoid the possibility of neighbourhood outbreaks of COVID-19 in the future.
The pop-up vaccination clinics will arrive at schools in 10 targeted neighbourhoods and rural communities starting June 21.
Appointments can be booked here or by calling 226-289-3560 between 8 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. seven days a week.
Here is the full list of clinic dates and locations:
- Monday, June 21: Sir Arthur Carty Catholic Elementary School: 1655 Ernest Avenue, London, ON N6E 2S3, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Tuesday, June 22: John Paul II Catholic Secondary School, 1300 Oxord Street East, London, ON N5V 4P7, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Wednesday, June 23: Westminster Secondary School, 230 Base Line Road West, London, ON N6J 1W1, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Thursday, June 24: Clarke Road Secondary School, 300 Clarke Road, London, ON N5W 5N4, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Friday June 25: North Middlesex District High School, 100 Parkhill Main Street, Parkhill, ON N0M 2K0, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Tuesday, June 29: Montcalm Secondary School, 1350 Highbury Avenue North, London, ON N5Y 1B5, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Wednesday, June 30: Sir Fredrick Banting Secondary School, 125 Sherwood Forest Square, London, ON N6G 2C3, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Monday, July 5: Glencoe District High School, 3581 Concession Street, Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
- Tuesday, July 6: Strathroy District Collegiate Institute, 361 Second Street, Strathroy, ON, N7G 3H8, 1:30pm to 6:30pm
Second dose clinics will take place at the same schools at the 56-day interval, Aug. 16-20 and 23-27.
“It’s closer to home and hopefully it’s easier for those who have had difficulty getting down to the mass vaccination clinics,” says Mackie.
NO MORE QUADMESTER MODEL COME SEPTEMBER
Starting in September, secondary schools with the board will move to a "modified semester model" instead for both in-person and remote learning.
TVDSB Director of Education Mark Fisher said in a statement the change comes amid higher vaccination rates and in consultation with public health officials.
“The Modified Semester Model addresses student and family concerns about the pace and intensity of courses experienced in the Quadmester Model during the current school year.”
The new model will have students taking four courses over each 20-week semester, alternating two courses one week, then two other courses the next week.
The board says students will have 150 minutes of class in the morning, a lunch break, then 150 minutes of class in the afternoon. Breaks will be included in both the morning and afternoon learning blocks. A sample scheduled can be seen here.
Meanwhile the board says plans are being made for end-of-year recognition, and for students to retrieve report cards and belongings, and return devices.
Virtual graduation ceremonies are planned for Grade 8 and 12 students.
However, plans are also being made for scheduled, outdoor, in-person year-end recognitions for all grades that will also facilitate picking up belongings and returning technology.
Details will be provided directly to students by their schools.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.
Woman, 18, killed by co-worker's vehicle on Highway 1 in Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.