As the large vaccination sites close, in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, people continue to be encouraged to get inoculated at pop-up and mobile sites.

A vaccination clinic was held at community group Support Centre for Immigrant Communities (CACI) this week in Cartierville.

"With these clinics, we go after people who, for one reason or another, couldn't get to the fixed sites," says Amélie Thiffaut, mobile vaccination coordinator at regional health board the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

We are targeting people who have difficulty accessing the Internet or residents who have communication problems with the language as well as people who, for whatever reason, were unable to make an appointment on the Clic Santé site.

Thiffaut also said that pop-up vaccination clinics held in businesses or community organizations as well as the mobile ‘Vaxi-bus’ clinics will remain open at least until the summer.

The fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be available as of Monday for those 60 years of age and older. The government is also expected to announce a vaccination campaign this fall for the second booster dose for the general population.

NO PRESSURE

Pop-up or mobile vaccination clinics are not experiencing the crowds of the large campaigns we have seen this winter.

"On average, we receive about 20 people per day," said Thiffaut.

During busy periods, the clinics were doing between 50 and 150 injections per day. Despite the lower numbers, one of the reasons these clinics are being maintained is that they have certain advantages when it comes to providing targeted information. With the help of community organizations, information leaflets are being distributed to homes to announce vaccination days or the Vaxi-bus. It’s a way to reach those who are still reluctant to be vaccinated.

"In addition to the children, we have a few adults who come to get their first dose," said Thiffaut.

In these clinics, a single nurse performs all the procedures, from the reception to the injection.

"During the 15 minutes that are devoted to each person, there is a lot of discussion and a lot of explanations are given," said Thiffaut.

The fact that this vaccination is also done in the neighbourhood is a kind of encouragement.

"We bring the vaccine right to people's doorsteps," said the mobile vaccination coordinator.

Though the large vaccination sites are closing due to a lack of clients, people can still receive their vaccine at a CLSC.

"It's also another form of local vaccination," said Marie-Hélène Giguère, head of public relations at CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

REASSURING FIGURES

According to the latest data, in Bordeaux-Cartierville, the rate of people adequately vaccinated has reached 78 per cent, while the rate of people aged 65 and over who received an injection is 95 per cent. In Ahuntsic, these figures rise to, respectively, 84 per cent and 96 per cent.

It’s the booster dose for all ages that remains relatively low, with 37 per cent in the western part of the borough and 48 per cent in the eastern part.

On the other hand, the sixth wave hasn’t appeared to come with the feared tsunami of cases in the neighourhood, at least for the moment.

The number of daily cases fluctuated between 30 and 39 at the beginning of the week with a peak of 55 on April 6.

The number of people infected at Sacré-Coeur Hospital increased slightly from 22 at the beginning of the week to 28 on April 6. Cases in the intensive care unit remain stable with four patients.

In Fleury and Jean-Talon hospitals, the latest data recorded eight cases in both facilities and they are not in intensive care.

Active cases in Ahuntsic-Cartierville's CHSLDs are being closely monitored and did not increase this week with 11 cases in Saint-Joseph-de-la-Providence, three in Laurendeau and two in Cartierville. In the private care homes, Ora has 13 active cases and the Gouin Towers (in Montreal-North) has four.

- This report by Journal des voisins / The Local Journalism Initiative was first published in French on April 8, 2022