THUNDER BAY - As the province prepares to begin rolling out phase two of its vaccination strategy next month, Dr. Janet DeMille, medical officer of health with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, says phase one has been a success.
“We have been very successful in navigating through the phase one priorities. Those will continue, even as we transition to phase two,” she said.
Phase one of the vaccine rollout included those most at risk, including long-term care residents, high-risk health care workers, and Indigenous people.
Vaccinations are also underway for seniors over the age of 75 and DeMille anticipates appointments will open up soon for those 70 and over.
“We know a lot of individuals over the age of 75 have booked themselves for appointments,” she said. “We do expect to move down to 70 plus when those appointment slots get moved into the provincial system.”
Phase two of the vaccine rollout will begin in April and take place until the end of June. Priorities listed by the provincial government for phase two vaccinations include seniors over the age of 60 starting in May, people with health conditions and essential caregivers, those in high-risk congregate living settings, essential workers who cannot work from home, and COVID-19 hotspot communities.
Despite the high number of COVID-19 cases in the Thunder Bay District, it has not been designated a hotspot.
DeMille said more information will be made available on the Thunder Bay District Health Unit’s website in the coming days on priority groups to receive the vaccine in phase two.
But as phase two is set to begin, there have been concerns raised that some at-risk individuals identified in phase one have not yet received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
A family member has said her 80-year-old aunt, who is a patient at St. Joseph’s Care Group, has not received a vaccination yet.
“St. Joseph's Care Group has just received confirmation that the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to more inpatient clients of St. Joseph's Hospital beginning next week,” said St. Joseph’s Care Group president and CEO, Tracy Buckler in a statement.
“This is in addition to existing vaccine availability for inpatient clients awaiting long-term care, expanding availability to those who meet the provincial framework's eligibility criteria which includes clients over the age of 75.”
DeMille added that the health unit will continue to work on getting the vaccine to those identified in phase one, including seniors who may not have the ability to physically to attend clinics.
“It’s not that phase one ends and two begins,” she said. “Absolutely, we will always be looking at catching up with individuals who have not yet received their first dose of vaccine. That includes people who might be in hospitals or other facilities who would qualify.”
Phase one also included Indigenous people as a priority group due to health risks and access to adequate health care and DeMille said that will continue.
“We encourage anyone who is Indigenous, Métis, or Inuit, to get immunized,” she said. “That is an important group. That will continue throughout phase two as well.”
There are also plans for more pharmacies to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine, including three in Thunder Bay.
Earlier this month the province announced plans to expand the number of pharmacies receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine to more than 1,500 by early April.
DeMille said she is still waiting on the exact details of that rollout in Thunder Bay but she calls it an exciting opportunity for the area.
And despite the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 55 being suspended in Canada, DeMille said it remains perfectly safe and risks of blood clots is very low.
“I want to really reassure people that AstraZeneca is an effective vaccine against COVID-19 and I would encourage people to consider getting it,” she said. “We’ve heard about the risk of blood clots being a little elevated for some people. The data is still being examined on that and will be monitored going forward. The rate of that blood clot is very, very low.”
DeMille added the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s decision to suspend immunizations for those under 55 reflects an abundance of caution when it comes to vaccine safety.
“People need to realize it is a safe vaccine,” she said. “If people qualify for it and meet that age bracket, I would encourage them to get it.”
As the district moves into phase two of the vaccine rollout, DeMille said more community partners will be brought on board to assist with vaccination clinics.
“The vaccine we get are delivered by many different partners,” she said. “We intend to expand the number of partners to deliver the vaccine and where they do that to get through the numbers we have.”
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is also planning to include data on its website on how many vaccines have been administered in the district.
