The Northwestern Health Unit expects it won’t start appointment-based COVID-19 vaccinations clinics for people over the age of 80 until next month.
The health unit on Friday provided an update of its vaccine rollout plan, with medical officer of health Dr. Kit Young Hoon saying those clinics will likely start in April with bookings beginning in the next few weeks.
Earlier this week, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit held its first appointment-based clinics for people aged 85 and older.
Young Hoon said the Northwestern Health Unit is one of up to 40 per cent of local health units that started its vaccination process later.
“Places with higher incidence rates have been prioritized for vaccine, so they are ahead with the scheduling of vaccine and getting vaccine out,” she said in a Friday media briefing with regional reporters.
“Our situation is not unlike a number of other health units, where we have low rates, so we’re getting vaccine later.”
Young Hoon said the health unit is currently in the process of providing second doses for residents of long-term care and elder care facilities, along with first doses for staff and essential caregivers of those facilities, as well as highest-priority health care workers.
She said the health unit is having discussions about holding targeted clinics for homeless populations throughout the catchment area.
“We are strategically looking at how to prevent the spread in a homeless and underhoused population,” she said.
“That includes a number of things, such as communicating to that population, providing education materials, providing supports such as masks that they can mask more effectively, also supporting agencies that provide services to the homeless, transient population so they can make sure their operations are safe and their staff are safe.”
The Northwestern Health Unit announced three new COVID-19 cases on Friday, with one each in its Kenora, Sioux Lookout and Dryden and Red Lake regions. The health unit has 44 known active cases in its catchment area, with 22 in the Kenora region, 14 in the Sioux Lookout region and 8 in the Dryden and Red Lake region.
