More opportunities for local vaccinations as supply ramps up

With an increase in the amount of vaccine being received locally, area residents now have more options to get their COVID-19 vaccination, according to a media release from the local health unit.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR) has been notified that it will receive more vaccine in the coming weeks and as a result, the Health Unit has increased the number of clinics it will be offering throughout May.

“We have been hearing from the province for some time that we would be seeing a dramatic increase in the amount of vaccine being sent to us and it appears that time is approaching,” says Dr. Natalie Bocking, medical officer of health for the local health unit.

“We have asked people to be patient and wait their turn for their chance to get vaccinated. With the province expanding the groups of people eligible to book appointments and the increased deliveries of vaccine the time is now here for more residents to book their appointments to get vaccinated.”

Until the end of May, the Health Unit will be hosting 24 different mass immunization clinics in Haliburton County, Northumberland County and Kawartha Lakes and increasing the number of appointments available at many of those clinics. This is in addition to the clinics being hosted by the Ross Memorial Hospital at the Lindsay Exhibition.

As of Tuesday, individuals considered at risk and as part of Group Two of essential workers who cannot work from home are eligible to book appointments. As of Thursday, individuals who were born in 1981 or earlier can book appointments through the provincial booking system.

Health unit clinic dates and locations are listed on the agency’s website: www.hkpr.on.ca. The site also includes a list of eligible individuals and how they can book appointments.

Mass immunization clinics are just one way that local residents can be vaccinated. The province is continuing to flow vaccine through to pharmacies with a plan to have more than 2,300 pharmacies in the province offering COVID vaccination by the end of May. As well, some local health teams and health care providers are offering vaccination clinics for their patients. The Health unit is also working with its health care partners and local EMS services to ensure those residents who are housebound are receiving their vaccination.

“We know that getting vaccinated is our best shot at helping us stay healthy and bring an end to this pandemic,” Bocking says. “We all want to return to a time when we can get back together with our family and friends, and having as many people vaccinated as possible is the best way we can start to see things return to normal again.”