As of Monday, Jan. 9, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s (SMDHU) COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Georgian Mall in Barrie will relocate and operate at 29 Sperling Dr. The health unit will offer COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment and walk in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All scheduled appointments at the Georgian Mall clinic will continue until Friday, Dec. 30.
The health unit’s new clinic location will operate in partnership with the Royal Victoria Regional Health Center (RVH). The RVH COVID-19 Immunization Clinic continues to offer appointments and walk-ins at 29 Sperling Dr. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All appointments at the 29 Sperling Dr. clinic can be booked using the COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. The health unit also continues to offer appointments at its office immunization clinic locations in Midland, Orillia, Cookstown, Collingwood, Huntsville and Gravenhurst and these can be booked through the above portal or phoneline.
Appointments may also be booked with the Couchiching Ontario Health Team Clinic located in the Orillia Soldier’s Memorial Hospital Kiwanis Building – West Entrance, 170 Colborne St., W.
Individuals six months of age and older may also receive the vaccine at some local pharmacies or booked appointments through some primary care providers and Family Health Teams who are offering the vaccine as part of their regular clinical practice. Pop-up and GO-VAXX mobile clinics will continue to be scheduled throughout Simcoe and Muskoka.
Everyone 5 years of age and older is recommended to keep their COVID-19 vaccinations up to date, which includes one Fall booster (after Sept. 1, 2022) six months after their last dose of COVID-19 vaccine or COVID-19 infection, however people who want to receive their booster earlier can do so at a minimum of three months. As the winter respiratory season continues, high-risk populations are recommended to receive their bivalent booster as soon as they are eligible (i.e. the minimum three-month interval) to protect themselves as people spend more time indoors.
Staying up to date with all COVID-19 vaccine doses you are currently eligible for remains the best defense against infection, severe illness, long term COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization, and death.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccination, dose eligibility and booking an appointment, please visit www.smdhu.org/GetVaccinated.