Additional options for COVID-19 vaccine

Local residents who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine now have more options available for vaccinations. On Thursday, the provincial government made several announcements on the expansion of the provincial vaccination program, says a media release from the local health unit.

As of April 2, all Ontario residents born in 1951 or earlier became eligible to book a vaccination appointment through the provincial booking system. These appointments can be booked through the provincial booking system at www.ontario.ca/bookvaccine or by phone at 1-888-999-6488.

Appointments must be booked through the provincial booking system. Pharmacies in Lindsay, Campbellford, Cobourg and Port Hope will now be offering vaccination appointments for residents 55+. Appointments for these clinics are to be booked directly with the participating pharmacies. Visit www.hkpr.on.ca for the list of participating pharmacies.

HKPRDHU has also been notified that it will receive 2,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and these will be administered through primary health care providers. Details on which primary health care partners are participating is still being finalized.

“We are so pleased to receive this news from the province,” said Dr. Ian Gemmill, Acting Medical Officer of Health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. “We have been asking our residents to be patient as we wait for more vaccine to be received locally and this is expansion is going to go a long way in help to get more vaccine into local arms.”

There are also more mass immunization clinics starting next week in the three counties. Clinics have been operating in Lindsay and Cobourg, and starting next week there will be additional clinics opening in Fenelon Falls, Trent Hills and Minden. A mass immunization clinic will also be starting up in Haliburton on April 12. Additional information about these clinics can be found on the health unit’s website at www.hkpr.on.ca. Appointments must be booked through the provincial booking system at www.ontario.ca/bookvaccine or by phone at 1-888-999-6488.

“We have received notification of the number of doses we will be receiving in the coming weeks and have been able to add 30,000 appointments to our mass immunization clinics during the month of April,” Dr. Ian Gemmill said. “These mass immunization clinics, coupled with the expanded access through pharmacies and family physicians, is really going to help us ensure that more of our residents are protected against COVID-19 through vaccination.”