Three years and more than 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Those are some of the notable numbers attached to the health unit's immunization clinic on Sperling Drive in Barrie.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) will close the clinic at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Until then, the health unit says it will continue to offer COVID-vaccinations by walk-in and appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Appointments are available online through the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre or by calling 1-833-943-3900.
The Sperling Drive clinic, which is housed in the former Barrie police headquarters and is a city-owned building, opened in December 2020 as a collaboration between the City of Barrie, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and the health unit.
It became a "well-known fixed location for testing and vaccination during the early days of the pandemic," according to the health unit.
The site was home to the COVID-19 Testing Clinic and RVH’s COVID-19, Cold and Flu Care Clinic that closed earlier this year.
Last month, the city also announced it was selling off surplus land around Barrie for residential use. This includes the former police station and its adjacent parking lot at 35 Sperling Dr.
The closure of the immunization clinic comes as health units across Ontario resume their core programs, according to the health unit. Local pharmacies are now providing the majority of COVID-19 vaccinations to residents.
Individuals aged six months and older are able to receive the COVID-19 XBB vaccine formulation free of charge at participating local pharmacies and some health-care providers.
Since September 2023, the health unit says 75 per cent of COVID vaccinations have been administered at local pharmacies across Simcoe-Muskoka.
For more information about COVID-19, and immunization, visit the health unit's website or contact Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
