Pop-up vaccination clinic holds court at mall

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This article was published 03/09/2021 (1855 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shoppers got a dose of convenience Friday afternoon at Manitoba’s first pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic inside a mall.

Within two hours of opening, the clinic at Polo Park had a steady stream of people lining up to fill out vaccination forms and get a shot while doing other errands.

It was a fast, smooth process for Alanis Somers, a front-line worker.

“It’s more convenient for me to come here,” Somers said, saying she had held off on getting the vaccine until after getting advice from her doctor. Somers said she works with vulnerable people and supports the province’s vaccine mandate that now requires all provincial staff, including health-care workers and teachers, to be vaccinated if they work with vulnerable populations.

“It’s only fair,” she said, expressing support for such mandates and relief at tightened provincial restrictions.

Convenience was the main draw for most of those who spoke about their decision to get vaccinated at a mall pop-up clinic.

As his spouse received her second dose, Racim Aliane praised the clinic’s location, saying it made sense with their busy schedule.

“We were shopping, and it can push somebody to (receive) the vaccine,” he said.

The mall announced the clinic’s location and hours periodically over the loudspeakers Friday, as onlookers passed by. It was enough to draw in one Winnipeg man, who decided to get vaccinated even though he’d previously been against getting the shot.

“I wasn’t going to get it, but now you can’t go anywhere (without proof of immunization),” said the 53-year-old, who declined to provide his name.

Public health mandates came into effect Friday that restrict access to restaurants, gyms, and other local businesses and activities to only those who are fully vaccinated. .

“Painted us into a corner, haven’t they?” the man said.

The man said he would have chosen to get vaccinated sooner and not missed out on any activities if the province had given a heads-up a few weeks ago such restrictions were coming.

More mall pop-ups are planned, including one at the Outlet Collection on Sterling Lyon Parkway, set to run Sept. 4 and 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay