Waterloo region's largest COVID vaccination clinic closes, staff say 'it's bittersweet'
Clinic closes as need decreases
When the Cambridge Pinebush mass vaccination clinic opened in March 2021, retired registered nurse Patti Bambury didn't hesitate to throw on her scrubs again.
"There were so many unknowns and I just felt that I really wanted to do my part to help with anything," she said.
Bambury worked at the region's largest vaccination clinic as an immunizer and team lead since the day it opened until the very end on Wednesday, when the clinic will close its doors for good at 6:30 p.m.
She is among about 600 people that have either worked or volunteered their time over the past year. More than 333,000 doses were administered at the site, which was the region's largest COVID-19 vaccine clinic.
"[Emotions] are very mixed … people are happy that we've come this far ... But we have had such great friendships here. It's been a real bonding experience," Bambury said.
"It's been a wonderful ride," she added, noting she's looking forward to enjoying retirement again.
During a final team meeting on Wednesday, clinic leads thanked staff for their work and encouraged them to continue making a difference.
A traditional closing ceremony was led by Myeengun Henry of the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre.
Numbers dwindling
The 100,000 sq. ft. site at 66 Pinebush Road started out with just few stalls, but quickly transformed to include sensory safe and child-friendly spaces, privacy booths and an Indigenous space.
During a busy day, the clinic would see more than 3,400 people drop by. Now, that number has dropped to several hundred.
With more than 85 per cent of residents in the region fully vaccinated, there isn't a great need for a mass site, which is why the clinic is closing down, the region said.
"The numbers are starting to dwindle and that's why the time has come that this part of the vaccine rollout is over," clinic manager Lisa Anstey said.
She described the closure as a "sign of hope" as the community enters the next phase of the pandemic.
But, "it's bittersweet. It's been an incredible journey for the team," she said.
"We know we've done our part and this phase of the rollout is over and we're just happy that we were here to be able to support."
'Back to normality'
Cid Nolan was one of the first in line at the clinic on Wednesday to support his step-daughter Sarah Roseburgh, who was getting her second dose.
Nolan, who received three shots at the Cambridge Pinebush clinic, remembers how he felt when it first opened.
"I thought, wow, this is serious. I think a lot of people believed when all this first started, myself included, I didn't think it would get much out of hand. When they started this [clinic] out there, it was kind of an eye-opener that, yeah, this is real," he said.
But now, he said it's coming full circle.
"[It's] a sign maybe we're getting near the end of the vaccination process and back to some kind of normality," he said.
Roseburgh agreed, noting that the clinic was "a good asset for the community."
The region will now focus on an outreach model with more vaccine buses and pop ups cropping up soon. People can also still attend the clinics at The Boardwalk in Waterloo for a walk-in dose of the vaccine.