Health PEI adds new COVID-19 vaccine appointments, mass clinics being scheduled

Thousands of new COVID-19 vaccine appointments are being released this week and mass clinics are being scheduled for early next week as Health PEI expands access for both third dose boosters and vaccines for children 5 to 11 years of age.

Mass vaccine clinics will reopen in Charlottetown at the Eastlink Centre and in Summerside at the County Fair Mall on Monday Jan. 10, and ongoing clinics will be held at the Rosedale Centre in Montague, the Souris Hospital, and the O’Leary – Health Centre. 

Appointments for all these clinics can be made online through the Skip the Waiting Room online booking tool or by calling 1-844-975-3303. New appointment slots for children are available now and more appointments across the province are expected to be updated on Thursday. 

Canadian Health Labs are also holding additional vaccine clinics for ages 30 and over who have had their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago. 

Appointments may be made through their online booking portal at: Canadian Health Labs. Those appointment slots are open now. Work is underway to allow these clinics to be booked through Skip the Waiting Room in the future.

In total, Health PEI plans to deliver more than 19,600 doses in January at the mass clinics, while Canadian Health Labs plans to deliver up to 13,925. Island pharmacies continue to book large numbers of vaccinations as well, with approximately 10,000 doses available. Similar numbers are expected in February and March as more Islanders become eligible for boosters. These estimates are contingent on staff resources not being impacted by COVID infections or additional resources being needed for managing COVID cases.  

“Ramping up our vaccinations clinics relies on the hard work of many Health PEI staff and partners across government, the Chief Public Health Office, and the private sector. I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard to respond quickly to increasing the vaccine appointments for Islanders,” said Marion Dowling, Chief Nursing and Professional Practice Officer for Health PEI. “Getting a booster dose and vaccinating children are important strategies for protecting Islanders from the most serious outcomes of COVID, especially over the coming weeks and months.” 

Receiving a booster dose six months after your last dose of vaccine increases your levels of circulating antibodies and reduces your risk of hospitalization, especially for those aged 50 and over.

As of January 1, 2022, 71 percent of people aged 80 and over have received a booster, 33 per cent of those aged 70-79, 16 per cent of those aged 60-69, and only 12 per cent of those aged 50-59 have received a booster dose.

Throughout January and February, there is supply of both Pfizer Comirnaty^® and Moderna Spikevax^® available, although the majority of the doses will be Moderna Spikevax^®.

Either mRNA vaccine (Moderna Spikevax^® or Pfizer Comirnaty^®) can be used as a booster dose  and both are safe and effective. It is not necessary to get the same vaccine for your booster dose as you received for your first and second dose. 

Media Contact:
Everton McLean
Communications, Health PEI
902-213-1507
emclean@gov.pe.ca