Article content
Sarnia-Lambton residents age 80-plus or who received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose before March 17 are now eligible to book their second doses, the local health unit says.
But they will be contacted directly by Lambton public health staff and don’t need to call or book appointments online, officials said. However, people who qualify based on that age group or timeline should contact the health unit if they didn’t receive a call or email from its staff by the end of the day Monday.
The announcement was part of what the health unit said is its revamped second-dose strategy as the interval is being shortened from the initial 16 weeks. Followup doses will be distributed in the same order first doses were handed out based on age and priority sequencing.
But to follow this timeline, all previous second-dose appointments were being cancelled and rescheduled, the health unit said.
“Based on vaccine supply to the region, Lambton public health will continue to book second-dose appointments in increments moving forward, and following the order in which first doses were administered,” the health unit said in a statement. “Residents of Lambton County will be notified of their eligibility to book directly via email/phone.”
Article content
Officials also asked for patience as clinics are filling up quickly.
People with certain medical conditions, high-risk health-care workers and First Nations residents are also being prioritized for a shorter interval between doses.
For more information, call the dedicated phone line at 226-254-8222 or visit getthevaccine.ca.
Ontario announced last week it is shortening the waiting period between vaccine doses as it seeks to have all eligible residents fully vaccinated by the end of August in what it called a “two-dose summer” program.
More than 67,000 first doses have been distributed locally, representing 63 per cent of the adult population.
No new COVID-19 cases were reported Monday and the overall caseload actually fell slightly as one previously reported case no longer met the criteria, the health unit said.
Of the 3,488 cases since the pandemic began, 3,395 were considered resolved while 33 were still active. At least 565 have screened positive for variants of concern.
The local death toll was still 60.
There were two active outbreaks at a Sarnia long-term care home and an unidentified business.
Three COVID-positive patients were in hospital, Bluewater Health reported. A handful of patients arrived from Manitoba in recent days as Ontario hospitals attempt to help ease the strain on their provincial neighbour’s health-care system.
A total of 48 people, including some non-local residents, have died in Sarnia’s hospital due to the disease.
Lambton public health revamps second-dose strategy for COVID-19 vaccines - Sarnia Observer
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment