CORNWALL, Ontario – During his update to the media on Monday, May 17, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) said that he was pleased with the rate of vaccination in the region. So far, 53 per cent of adults aged 18 and older in the EOHU region have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’m very happy to report that out of the 18+ population . . . we’ve vaccinated approximately 89,000 people which is approximately 53 per cent of eligible adults,” he said. “We anticipate another 24,000 vaccines in our clinics and those exclude the schools. We will be at about 113,000 doses of vaccine given by the end of May and into June. That is about 68 per cent of our adult population. I’m quite happy about this. The better the numbers the better it is for a safe re-opening.”
Dr. Roumeliotis said that he believed that at a 65 to 70 per cent vaccination rate that COVID-19 public health restrictions can begin to be relaxed.
Earlier on Monday, the province announced that thanks to an increased supply of the vaccine, that appointments for vaccinations at mass immunization clinics would be extended to individuals 18 plus by Tuesday morning.
Read more: Province opening vaccine bookings to those 18+
Dr. Roumeliotis also said that in June he would be working with local school boards to schedule vaccine clinics to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 and their families. Roumeliotis also said that those who had received their first dose of the vaccine, but have yet to receive a date for their second dose will be able to book their appointment for their second dose on the provincial website in the near future.
Roumeliotis also shared that pharmacies in the area will begin to receive more doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna version of the vaccine, with 27 pharmacies receiving doses the week of May 17 with another 17 pharmacies getting doses in the next few weeks. The pharmacies with vaccine doses to distribute will be listed on the province’s website in the coming weeks.
