CORNWALL, Ontario – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) has postponed all non-COVID-19 related vaccination clinics and other programs to focus on administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
“As I said last week during my briefing, we have been asked by the government to prioritize COVID vaccination and to redeploy all staff to COVID vaccination activities. As a result, we have temporarily postponed our routine vaccination clinics, among other programs. We will re-evaluate in January based on our progress with COVID vaccine and our human resource capacity as we would want to resume these vaccinations as soon as operationally possible,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, EOHU Medical Officer of Health in a statement to Seaway News.
These include vaccinations for young children that would protect them against diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and polio (Tdap-IPV).
Some secondary school students require certain vaccinations in order to attend schools, such as vaccinations against mumps, rubella, measles, and more.
On Wednesday, Dec. 23 Ontario recorded nearly 5,800 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Dec. 23, the EOHU has distributed 372,763 doses of the COVID-19 and 32,556 of that number accounts for third shot booster doses. The rate of vaccination in the EOHU sits at 85.8 per cent of individuals who have received their first dose, and 80.1 per cent who have received their second dose. Those aged five to 11 are the segment of the population with the lowest rate of vaccination with under 40 per cent having received their first dose.