Good afternoon Kanata North,
I have received several emails and calls from residents concerning booking issues being experienced at our vaccination clinics. City and Provincial staff are working hard to resolve this problem. Last Friday, a data entry error within the Province’s booking system caused appointments at the Eva James Memorial Community Centre and others to be double booked on March 23, 24 and 25. The City does not have access to the back-end of this provincial system, so the error was only realized after the bookings were already made and shared with the City.
To address the issue, the City mobilized staff and expanded service at the Nepean Sportsplex to meet the increased demand caused by the double booking at the Eva James Memorial Community Centre.
This morning and throughout today, many residents arrived at the Eva James Memorial Community Centre with duplicate appointments. Attendance is exceeding the capacity at the vaccination clinic, so the City is offering voluntary shuttle buses to transport residents who were double-booked, and who have not had their appointment re-booked by the Province to the Nepean Sportsplex to receive their vaccination there. Residents are not required to use the shuttle but still need to go to the Eva James Memorial Community Centre first.
Shuttles will be in service until later today. COVID-19 protocols are in place to ensure passenger and driver safety, and wearing a mask is mandatory.
I recognize that the current situation is not ideal for our seniors. Daily discussions with the Province are ongoing to identify and address any issues as quickly as possible and continue with our successful local roll-out of vaccinations.
The City continues to prioritize immunizing as many residents as possible. We want to assure all residents that the City will honour as many appointments as possible. If you have not received a phone call or email to re-schedule your appointment, please proceed to your appointment as planned. The City is aware of ongoing province-wide issues with the provincial booking system and is providing feedback from residents to the Province as they work to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.
I want to thank our staff who continue to go above and beyond to ensure the success of our COVID-19 vaccination program. I thank you for your patience during this time. Please continue your best efforts to be COVIDWise.
Take care,
Jenna Sudds