Officials tour Steinbach vaccination site

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This article was published 20/05/2021 (1436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The former Royal Canadian Legion hall in Steinbach hosted many memorable socials and receptions over the last 35 years, but this week the building began hosting its most special occasion yet: a COVID-19 vaccination “super site” capable of immunizing hundreds of people per day.

A month of renovations preceded the site’s Tuesday opening. Officials who gathered Friday for a tour of the site, located at 294 Lumber Avenue, were told 200 doses will be administered on each of the first two days of operation, followed by a one-day shutdown to “regroup.”

Daily capacity will increase to 360 doses from May 21 through June 2, a provincial spokesperson said, then reach peak capacity of 420 doses.

The site is capable of operating seven days a week but is currently scheduled to operate Sunday through Wednesday.

“We are starting at four days a week, but I don’t think we’re staying at that,” a provincial spokesperson said.

Weekday hours of operation are 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Weekend hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The site can handle both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines but will administer only Pfizer at first. Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen said Pfizer’s supply chain has been “rock solid.”

A pair of ultra-low-temperature freezers were installed to accommodate the two brands of vaccine, which must be stored at different temperatures. The vials are protected by a backup generator and 24-hour site security.

Clients are instructed to arrive 10 minutes before their appointment with a completed consent form in hand, a spokesperson said. They will be screened in a covered entrance then directed to registration desks inside. Staff at both stations are available to answer questions. Translation software and on-call interpreters are enabling service in 100 languages, a spokesperson said.

In the immunization area, clients remain seated while staff make the rounds with a wheeled cart. After the jab, clients must remain seated for a 15-minute observation period before they can use the selfie sign near the exit.

Parking is divided over two areas. Twenty-two spaces in the SCU lot are reserved for those with mobility challenges. All others are asked to park across Lumber Avenue in the arena lot.

A provincial spokesperson couldn’t say how many appointments had been booked in advance of the site’s opening. As of late last week, the site was accepting bookings into the second week of June.

Southern Health CEO Jane Curtis said the site could remain open into December.

Long road to opening

On Dec. 9, 2020, the Manitoba government said Steinbach would receive a super site within three months. Instead, Southern Health’s first such site opened Mar. 22 in Morden, in a spacious venue capable of administering 1,000 doses a day.

An official announcement for Steinbach didn’t arrive until April 14. By that time, Steinbach residents had watched super sites open in Selkirk and Dauphin.

Officials on Friday’s tour offered several reasons why Manitoba’s third-largest city was eighth in line for a super site.

“The first super site in every (health) region needed to be central to that region,” Goertzen said, in part because it doubles as a distribution site. Supply of vaccine was also limited earlier in the rollout.

A provincial spokesperson said Morden was prioritized because Steinbach received pop-up clinics.

As for daily capacity, the size of the building is the determining factor, the spokesperson said. Curtis said efficiency is a more important metric than sheer size.

“I think what we’ve learned is you can be really efficient with the space that you have, then you can get a lot of people through.”

Other locations for Steinbach’s super site were considered, but Goertzen said he wasn’t at liberty to disclose them.

Curtis said parking, accessibility, security, and other considerations had to be weighed. Southern Health also wanted to avoid disrupting community programming. The old Legion hall, vacant since February and located downtown, met all those criteria.

Politicians pleased

Reeve Stan Toews, who was vaccinated last month, said RM of Hanover residents can no longer claim driving time is keeping them from booking an appointment.

“And they’re getting a top-shelf vaccine,” he added.

Mayor Earl Funk said super sites have a reliable operating schedule that makes it easier for people to book an appointment at a convenient time.

“I think this will definitely get more vaccines in the arms of our residents,” Funk said.

Funk said he is scheduled to receive his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the super site early next month.

“I’m a local boy. I like to do things at home,” he said, when asked why he hadn’t gone to a pharmacy, pop-up clinic, or other super site.

Goertzen said the super site makes it more convenient than ever for a resident of the Steinbach area to get immunized.

“I think the excuses are sort of falling away.”

Goertzen also addressed vaccine hesitancy head-on during Friday’s tour, saying immunization is one way to love your neighbour. He also said the province’s reopening strategy, expected later this month, will be tied to vaccination rates, among other indicators.

Goertzen said evidence from other countries suggests vaccines are the “clearest path” back to normal.

Curtis encouraged people with questions about COVID-19 vaccines to consult their doctor.