The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU) is asking all residents who have a second-dose appointment in August, September, October and November at its COVID-19 mass vaccination sites in Cobourg, Campbellford, Fenelon Falls and Minden to rebook their appointments sooner.
“Ultimately the drive is to get needles into arms as soon as possible,” medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking tells Global News Peterborough.
“We made this decision because we’re finding we have many appointments going unfilled across all our clinics and the uptake for walk-in clinics isn’t as high as it could be.”
Bocking said there are approximately 8,000 people with appointments for a second dose on or after Aug. 3 and there are 12,000 appointments available between now and Aug. 14.
“Essentially anyone with an appointment booked in September, October or November, can get their COVID-19 second dose this week or next week or the following week. We have ample supply and we have the space at clinics and we have to take advantage of that opportunity as we have it now.”
The HKPRDHU is also urging residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible as the more infectious Delta variant is now the most common variant of COVID-19 in the province.
Bocking said there are also other opportunities for residents to get vaccinated, including pharmacies.
HKPRDHU is using media, email and phone to inform those who have appointments on or after Aug. 3 to rebook because their appointments are now cancelled.
Those who are eligible for their first or second doses can also walk in to any of the mass sites without an appointment.
You are eligible to receive your second dose 28 days after receiving Pfizer or Moderna as your first dose or 56 days after receiving AstraZeneca as your first dose.
There are no confirmed end dates for the mass immunization clinics, but Bocking says they will be “closed in the early fall.”
Meanwhile, the drive-thru vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition Grounds (LEX), which is operated by Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH), is now accepting walk-ins for both first and second doses.
Any individual 12 years of age and older can show up at the LEX Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a vaccination without an appointment.
Both Pfizer and Moderna are offered at the site.
“We’re seeing probably 100-150 people per day without an appointment,” said Jennifer Burns West, unit manager of emergency department and vaccination clinic at RMH.
“We have capacity for both appointments and walk-ins.”
Individuals with a COVID-19 appointment booked for or later than July 31 at the LEX are being encouraged to move up their appointments due to an abundance of vaccine availability.
If you have an appointment booked after 3 p.m., RMH is also asking that you move it up to an earlier time.
There will be another ‘No Appointment Needed’ evening clinic on July 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the LEX for anyone who can’t make it during the day.
RMH is also bringing one-day walk-in clinics to more rural areas in the City of Kawartha Lakes in August.
The clinics will be at:
- Bolsover Community Centre on Aug. 11 from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Norland Recreation Centre on Aug. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Kinmount Community Centre on Aug. 12 from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Baddow Community Centre on Aug. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Manvers Community Centre on Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to noon.
In Peterborough, the plan for Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is to start transitioning away from mass immunization clinics towards more targeted ways of delivering first and second doses to those who are unvaccinated.
“We expect to announce the end of our mass clinic at Evinrude Centre in the next week or two, and encourage anyone who is not yet vaccinated to either walk in or book an appointment at the Evinrude as soon as possible,” stated PPH communications manager Brittany Cadence in response to an email inquiry by Global News Peterborough.
“We are hoping for a return to in-person learning in September. We urge students to get their first dose by tomorrow (July 27) in order to be fully vaccinated for the first day of school in September.”
Barring any changes, the first day of school for elementary and secondary students is Sept. 7.
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