Some Windsor-Essex mass vaccination sites have closed. Here's where you can get your COVID-19 shot
Vaccination sites still operating in Leamington, Amherstburg and Windsor
As demand for COVID-19 vaccines declines in Windsor-Essex, so has the number of locations offering the shots.
The WFCU Centre vaccination site closed on Saturday, and another location in Windsor, the Moy Medical Center, has also wrapped up.
There are three mass vaccination sites currently operating for those who need first or second doses: Devonshire Mall in Windsor, the Libro Credit Union Centre in Amherstburg and Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington.
Vaccinations are also available at participating pharmacies and primary-care provider clinics throughout the region.
According to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), more than 73,000 vaccines were administered at the WFCU Centre.
Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the medical officer of health, described the site as "absolutely critical" in the region's success in the vaccination effort.
"The WFCU site has been our most active and our most productive site regarding our vaccine rollout," he said at a virtual press conference Friday.
Given the large size of the facility and the resources involved in running it, Ahmed said it doesn't make sense to keep the site open given the current level of uptake and demand for COVID-19 vaccines.
As of Friday's data, 75.7 per cent of eligible residents have received at least one dose, while the number of fully vaccinated people 12 and older stands at 66 per cent.
Across the province, however, the 12-plus vaccination rate is 80.2 per cent as of Friday, and 68.4 per cent of those eligible are fully vaccinated.
Ahmed said the average number of shots being given has sharply declined — falling by more than 1,000 doses daily last week compared with the one previous — and the region's vaccination rate has hit a plateau.
"This alarming trend is a concern ... not only for our community but across other regions where the world is seeing how efficiently the Delta variant can attack those who are unvaccinated," he said.
Walk-in appointments are available at mass vaccinations sites, and the health unit is also looking to boost uptake through mobile clinics.
This week, pop-ups are being held at the Housing Homelessness and Health Hub at Windsor Water World on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of Windsor education parking lot.