After struggling with long lines and waits on Monday, it looked as though the Newmarket vaccination clinic had those problems solved on Tuesday — until the power went off unexpectedly this afternoon, bringing the whole operation to a halt for the better part of two hours.
"It's just part of the COVID curse," said one woman waiting outside the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex. "People who went earlier this morning said everything was running perfectly."
Indeed, things had been going quite smoothly most of the day for seniors aged 80 and over and essential workers with appointments booked until the power unexpectedly failed just before 2 p.m. at the clinic operated by Southlake Regional Health Centre.
Cliff and Peggy Dunthorne, who had just finished getting their vaccines when the power went out, said their overall experience was extremely positive.
"It was easy-peasy," said Peggy. "We had to wait a little bit but not very much. It was perfect even though the lights went out."
Not everybody was so fortunate. The clinic had to be shut down during the power outage, leaving dozens of confused people milling in front of the arena 2 entrance at the Ray Twinney complex on Eagle Street wondering what was going on. The crowd grew larger as more and more people arrived for their appointments unaware of the situation.
Southlake's manager of emergency and disaster preparedness, Stephen Trafford, emerged from the clinic and told people that if they wished to leave, they would be able to do so reschedule their appointments, and anybody who wished to wait would get their shots eventually.
Some people left, but others like Deborah Lennox decided to stay and wait it out.
"We're going to stay regardless. They said some people could rebook, but we're already here. Might as well get it done," said Lennox, who works in a dental office.
Speaking to NewmarketToday once power was restored, Trafford explained that anyone who left during the power outage can call 1-844-301-8080 to reschedule their appointments for Thursday, March 4. The clinic will be extending its hours that day to accommodate those people, so no appointments already scheduled for Thursday will be impacted.
As for what caused the power outage, Trafford said a piece of the recreational complex's infrastructure failed.
"It wasn't related to the vaccinations, it was an issue with the building. As per our contingency planning, we decided to suspend operations. There's no urgent care being provided here, so we had the flexibility to do that while we tried to get the power back on," he said.
"Our goal was to make sure everyone was safe, so we had staff escort everyone, especially anyone with mobility issues, outside the building."
On Monday, visitors to the vaccination clinic complained about long lines and delays. One reader told NewmarketToday she had waited 2-1/2 hours to get her shot.
When asked about how the issues were solved, Trafford explained they created space so people could wait inside the building, and also brought in more staff.
"We worked with the Town of Newmarket to create some additional capacity inside, so if people do have to line up, they were lining up in warm conditions. We also adapted to the larger than expected number of clients, so we brought in some extra staff today so we could speed through the line quicker," he said.
