CORNWALL, Ontario – Cornwall City Council had the opportunity to ask questions about the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU)’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts to the EOHU’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis during a special meeting of Council on Monday, March 15.
Dr. Roumeliotis outlined the EOHU’s vaccination goals, stating that it hopes to finish Phase 1 of the provincial COVID-19 vaccination plan by the end of March, and aims to begin Phase 2 by April.
Those eligible to receive vaccines in Phase 1 are those aged 80 and over, healthcare workers, Indigenous residents of Akwesasne, retirement home resident and long-term care facility residents. Phase 2 would see adults aged 60 to 79, in 5-year increments, high-risk congregate settings (such as shelters, community living), individuals with high-risk chronic conditions and their caregivers, those who cannot work from home, and at-risk populations.
Those who do not work from home who will be eligible to receive a vaccine in Phase 2 include teachers, grocery store workers, and will also include restaurant workers.
Dr. Roumeliotis hopes that the entire EOHU region will have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of May.
To help meet that goal, the EOHU will be working with City of Cornwall administration to find more sites where they can distribute the vaccine. Currently the Cornwall Civic Complex is the designated COVID-19 vaccination site in Cornwall. The EOHU is also distributing the vaccine at the Cornwall Community Hospital and have conducted clinics at the Cornwall Square. Other sites in the EOHU region are in Winchester, Alexandria, Casselman, Hawkesbury and Rockland. All COVID-19 vaccines are currently being distributed by appointment only.
Ontario’s online COVID-19 vaccination appointment system, which all health units in the province were asked to use, got off to a rocky start on Monday, March 15, with residents of Cornwall being unable to book an appointment in Cornwall.
“People in Cornwall are concerned about not getting appointments in Cornwall,” said Mayor Bernadette Clement. “My in box is full of ‘why Alexandria and not Cornwall,’ ‘why Casselman and not Cornwall . . .'”
“We’re working on it,” Dr. Roumeliotis replied. “If it doesn’t work, we have a backup plan we will put in. We hope it will be rectified today, if not there will be a backup plan.”
Those who were unable to book an appointment online were asked to call 1-888-999-6488 for assistance, but Clement stated that during the day on Monday that number was not working for Cornwall residents. Dr. Roumeliotis stated that this would be rectified as well.
Thus far, the EOHU has vaccinated 18,000 individuals with the goal of vaccinating another 25,000 over the next month.
Dr. Roumeliotis said that out of those thousands of doses of vaccine administered, he had only 24 complaints of complications, most of which he believed were not related to the vaccine. He did state that there was one serious case of side-effects where an individual experienced an allergic reaction. Dr. Roumeliotis stated that the most common effects from the vaccine were temporary cold like symptoms.
Currently, there are 164 active COVID-19 cases in the EOHU region, half of which are in Cornwall. Dr. Roumeliotis stated that the reason for the high rate of cases in Cornwall were mostly related to workplaces, and that those cases are then brought home and spread to family members.
