Hamilton postal codes with low vaccination rates need local solutions, activists say

A city pop-up clinic in a low-vaccination area was off to a slow start Tuesday as the city struggles to boost immunization rates in the days before reopening.

The province is running a two-day clinic at Central Memorial Recreation Centre in Stinson - a neighbourhood with one of the lower vaccination rates in the city - from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Wednesday. Residents can walk-in and get either their first or second dose.

However, few people turned up early on, say community activists.

There was nobody there," said Mary Hudecki, a member of the Corktown Neighbourhood Association who was on-site that morning.

The city announced the pop-up clinic (and multiple others) last Thursday, and Hudecki and a colleague, Margaret Bennett, co-chair of the Stinson Community Association, promoted it through their respective organizations and on social media.

But Bennett believes the people who need to get their vaccines now are those who can't be reached by email or social media. She noted about 130 people had visited the clinic by 2 p.m., based on counts by the clinic's staff, who said the rain may have also been a factor at the outdoor clinic.

By the end of the day, however, Bennett heard reports from a neighbour that residents had filled up the waiting area.

Hamilton is trying to boost vaccination rates in areas with low uptake.

This remains a priority for us," said Michelle Baird, the city's director of epidemiology, wellness and communicable disease control, at the city briefing on Monday.

Baird noted the city has designated clinics in those areas and has vaccine ambassadors contacting priority groups to share information and address barriers. The city has opened all its mass clinics to walk-ins for first doses. Health-care providers are on-site to answer questions.

Stinson and Corktown are part of the L8N postal code, which the city declared a COVID-19 hot spot. Because it wasn't a provincial hot spot, L8N residents could only book their appointments through the city hotline - instead of through the online portal - when vaccines were prioritized for hot spots.

Bennett said this meant people spent hours on the phone trying to book their shots, a barrier for residents who have limited cellphone minutes.

In 2010, L8N had the highest percentage of residents living in poverty in the city, according to the Social Planning and Research Council. The postal code's has a 62.1 per cent vaccination rate for single doses and 30.3 per cent for second doses, according to the latest IC/ES data, which is updated through July 4 and does not include residents under 12 or living in long-term care.

In May, she and Hudecki visited a Stinson apartment complex with a translator to share information on the benefits of vaccination and how to get one. They got seven people to sign up for their shots in an hour.

This is the kind of stuff that needs to happen," Bennett said.

The women contacted public health last week with suggestions for increasing uptake in the area, such as through clinics at walking distance of residents and with extended hours. They also suggested providing residents information on child care and transportation options.

We're a Code Red neighbourhood," said Bennett. We have lower health outcomes compared to the rest of the city."

But she says residents have strong relationships with their doctors and pharmacists, who should be included in the local rollout strategy - for example by prioritizing their clients for vaccines on-site or sharing clinic information with their patients.

At an earlier clinic at Central Memorial in June, people signed up for their shots at a local park, Bennett said. She also used sidewalk chalk at main intersections pointing people to the clinic.

I get frustrated when people say people who haven't gotten their vaccines just don't care," she said. That's not the reality."

Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com