Health unit launches COVID-19 thank-a-thon tour

By Cecilia Nasmith

The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit continues to thank and acknowledge the collaboration and effort that occurred among countless volunteers, organizations and partners to get the community through its COVID-19 pandemic response.

And over the coming weeks, they are stepping up that effort with visits to a number of communities to present plaques to honour specific organizations for their hard work.

Throughout the pandemic, the announcement said, the health unit relied on its partnerships with hospitals, first responders, community organizations, municipalities and volunteers in a co-ordinated response that saw 154 vaccination clinic locations effectively set up across Northumberland County, Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes. There was also the organization and operation of assessment centres (like the one based in the trailer outside the entrance of Northumberland Hills Hospital), as well as mass-immunization and drive-through clinics, and the communication and dissemination of public-health information regarding vaccine certification, rapid testing and countless other aspects of the response.

Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Natalie Bocking expressed her gratitude to all who made these essential supports possible.

“The impressive support of community partners helped us design and deploy a response tailored towards the communities' needs,” Dr. Bocking said.

“Moving forward, we plan to grow these respected partnerships to continue to build upon the future of public-health programs and services for residents.”

At present, all health-unit-led COVID-19 vaccination clinics are available on a walk-in basis, or by appointment through the on-line provincial booking system (visit www.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ or call 1-833-943-3900).

For more information on local vaccine availability and eligibility, visit hkpr.on.ca/COVID-19.