COVID is on the ropes in Weston. There were 89 new cases in the past 21 days in Weston—another huge drop. Only five weeks ago, we had 275 cases.
That said, Weston and Mount Dennis have among the lowest vaccination rates in the city. Mount Dennis has the fourth-fewest people vaccinated and Weston has the sixth-fewest out of 140 neighbourhoods.
It looks like all Westonians and Mount Denizens will be prioritized for vaccination. The details and timeline are not yet clear, but the province has said that mobile vaccination teams and pop-up clinics will come to “highly impacted neighbourhoods” and will give vaccinations “to individuals aged 18 and over.”
The mobile vaccination teams will visit “congregate settings, residential buildings, faith-based locations, and locations occupied by large employers”. It appears that the clinics will serve the rest of the community at faith-based locations and community centres.
Those 50+ will also be able to get vaccinated at the city’s clinics starting on Friday; until now they’d only been vaccinated locally.
If you’re not yet mad at the slow pace of vaccinations, an article in The Star today will get you going. And if you are already mad, you’ll be furious—as I am.
Most of the seniors at Central King Seniors Residence across from the Weston Library hadn’t received their vaccinations, even though they’ve been eligible for weeks. Why?
Most of them don’t use the internet and aren’t able to book an appointment on their own. Many have significant mobility issues and none of the vaccination sites are nearby. Some can’t afford transportation. Others worry about waiting in long lines.
“They have been left behind,” Oka says. “Not intentionally,” she adds. “But still.”
….
She knew the most effective way to get her residents vaccinated was if the vaccine came to them. So she sent requests to every level of government, making her case in detailed emails.
Eventually she heard back from her MPP, Faisal Hassan, who, in collaboration with Humber River Hospital, arranged for a pop-up clinic at the building last week.
God bless Bardha Oka. Give her an award, the key to the town. Name a street after her. She probably saved many lives.
But see, too, that this is no way to run a vaccination plan. Why should one person be responsible? And why should she have to fight to get it done? This is insane. And how many more seniors’ residences are out there with less empowered staff than Bardha Oka?
COVID cases dropped again this week, to 56 in the past 21 days. That is down from 75 last week, which was in turn down from the week before.
On Tuesday, January 19, from 6-7 pm there will be a virtual meeting to discuss community benefits arising from a new hospital being built at West Park. The meeting is being hosted by the Mount Dennis Community Association, West Park Healthcare Centre, and the Toronto Community Benefits Network.
The organizers say the community benefits will include
Apprenticeships & Career opportunities
Social Procurement opportunities
Neighbourhood and Environment Improvements
The number of new COVID infections continues to rise. As of December 29, there were 86 cases in the previous 21 days—up from 76 cases two weeks before.
Weston remains harder hit than most neighbourhoods—we have a new-infection rate in the top 20%.
Great news: the rate of COVID infection in Weston seems to be slowing. We had 85 cases in the past 21 days, down from 105 cases last week.
Weston is also falling (a good thing) toward the middle of the pack neighbourhood-wise.
