The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit has announced Sept. 3 as the closing date for four of its mass-immunization clinics – in Cobourg, Campbellford, Minden and Fenelon Falls.
These clinics have operated since March but, as of the first Friday in September, immunization for the populations served by these sites will shift to the mobile and pop-up clinics to which the health unit will shift its focus in hopes of better serving those areas where vaccination rates are lower.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking explained in the press release that it's a shift from people having to come to them for their vaccinations.
“Our mass-immunization clinics have successfully served their purpose, providing thousands of first and second doses to local residents,” Dr. Bocking said.
“But now we need to direct our resources in a smarter, more targeted approach to reach those individuals who have still not received a vaccine or found it difficult to access one.”
Until Sept. 3, walk-ins and appointments will continue to be offered at the four locations, with mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) available. A complete list of dates, times and locations is available at www.hkpr.on.ca
Many pharmacies throughout the HKPR region also continue to offer COVID-19 vaccines, as do some health-care providers.
“There's still time to move the needle so, if you haven't yet received your first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, now is the time to come out and get one at one of our mass-immunization clinics,” Dr. Bocking said.
The current recommended interval between first and second shots is 28 days. Local residents getting a first dose at these mass-immunization clinics will have an opportunity to get their second dose through the health unit, a local pharmacy or a primary-care provider.
As of Aug. 9, the health unit reports that almost 80% of HKPR residents aged 12 and older have at least one vaccination, while more than 70% have both.
In the last week or so, attendance at the four mass-immunization sites has been noticeably down – no surprise, given these high vaccination rates, Dr. Bocking noted – so it makes sense to redeploy health unit resources to mobile clinics and other pandemic-response work.
As far as Dr. Bocking is concerned, the clinics have done a wonderful job.
“We are extremely grateful to the many volunteers, service groups, organizations and municipal partners with whom we worked in partnership,” she stated.
“Without their support, the mass-immunization clinics would not have been possible.”
The decision to close the four sites follows a similar decision by Ross Memorial Hospital to close its drive-through vaccination clinic at the Lindsay Exhibition as of Aug. 27.
