3rd dose of COVID-19 vaccine available in Waterloo region for those at risk

• Transplant recipients (including solid organ transplants and hematopoietic stem cell transplants).
• Patients with hematological cancers (eg lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia) under active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy).
• Recipients of an anti-CD20 agent (eg rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab).
• Residents of high-risk collective settings, including long-term care homes, licensed high-risk retirement homes, and First Nations elder care lodges.

Dr Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s medical officer of health, said the vaccine offered strong protection against the virus and severe consequences.

“For those most at risk, a third dose will provide an enhanced immune response and help provide an extra layer of protection for those most vulnerable in our community,” Wang said in a statement.

Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, told CBC KW The morning edition that vaccination is the best way forward as case rates rise across the province.

Moore said they are not yet going to offer third doses to people who have been given brands of mixed vaccines for their first and second doses and who may now face travel restrictions because of it.

“It’s specific because we have data and we make data-driven decisions,” Moore said.

“We are tracking evidence of other medical conditions,” he added, noting that eligibility may be extended in the future.

Those eligible for the third dose should contact their health care provider to determine the appropriate time for the shot, the region said.

Cancer patients who receive treatment at the Grand River Regional Cancer Center can expect to be contacted by the center within the next two weeks.

The region said people will be able to get a third dose at one of the regional immunization clinics, from their family doctor or some local pharmacies.

Anyone born in 2009 now eligible

The region also noted that the province had expanded eligibility for first doses to anyone born in 2009 and reminded people that the area clinics on Pinebush in Cambridge and The Boardwalk in Waterloo accept walk-in first and second. second doses. There are also vaccination buses that travel around the area that do not require an appointment and doses can be administered by family physicians or at pharmacies.

The region is also plan pop-up clinics in shopping centers in the region in the hope of reaching the students before they return to school.

The Waterloo Region District School Board announced this week that pop-up clinics or the vaccination bus would be in the townships of Wilmot and Wellesley:

• Elmira at Woolwich Memorial Center Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
• Linwood Community Center Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• St. Jacobs at 20 Albert St. E., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Moore said the province announced new vaccination policies three weeks before students returned to school because there was a “sudden drop” in people receiving the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and “as a result , we have to draw attention to this – the benefits, the strength, the effectiveness of vaccinations. “