Pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic for post-secondary students launches Tuesday

A file image of a COVID-19 vaccine

OTTAWA — A pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic aimed at post-secondary students will open Tuesday and run until Labour Day.

The clinic will be held at the Minto Sports Complex at the University of Ottawa, 810 King Edward Ave., and will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily until Sept. 6.

All post-secondary students can attend the clinic as well as staff and friends and family of students and staff aged 12 and over. No appointments are necessary. Anyone seeking a vaccine is able to walk in during hours of operation and receive one. If it is busy, appointment cards may be given, showing a time to return later in the day to receive a vaccine.

Ottawa Public Health says adult high-school students, staff, and their friends and family aged 12 and over are also welcome to attend the clinic and international students are encouraged to attend the clinic as well. There will be a nurse on site to help international students determine what vaccination they require.

The clinic will have both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines available. You must be at least 12 years old to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and you must be at least 18 years old to receive the Moderna vaccine.

In order to receive your second dose of a vaccine, at least 28 days must have passed since receiving a first dose of an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or at least 56 days must have passed since receiving a first dose of the AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine.

If you have received one or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine outside of the Province of Ontario, you must provide your proof of immunization to Ottawa Public Health.

Pop-up clinics continue to operate in Ottawa, aimed at targeting specific groups of people who may not have had a chance to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Ottawa Public Health data show vaccinations have been lagging among residents 18 to 39, with fewer than 75 per cent of that population having received at least one dose. First dose coverage among all other age groups in Ottawa exceeds 80 per cent.

The University of Ottawa says there is no mandatory vaccination requirement to be on campus but students must provide proof of immunization in order to live in residence in the fall and student athletes must be fully immunized by Oct. 1 if they wish to be on any Gee-Gees teams.

At present, there is no mandatory vaccination requirements for students at Carleton University or Algonquin College, but both institutions have said the policy is subject to change.