Appointments for the second-dose accelerated vaccine offered Monday; 14 new cases of COVID-19 in Niagara

All adults in Ontario, including those in Niagara, will be able to book a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier starting Monday – and appointments are likely to be in high demand.

The province said about 1.5 million Ontarians are eligible for an accelerated second dose of the vaccine.

In the past two weeks, Ontario was offering second doses earlier to people living in the Delta variant “hot spot” areas – including Hamilton, Toronto, Halton, Peel, Durham and York – but Niagara was not. part of these risk areas.

In Niagara, about 75 percent of eligible people aged 12 and over received their first dose of the vaccine, but just over 24 percent received a second dose.

Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Mustafa Hirji has urged residents who have not received their first injection – many of whom are teenagers, 20 and 30 – to make an appointment as soon as possible.

“I expect all of these appointments to be over in a few hours, so if you haven’t booked your first dose yet, don’t delay. Take the opportunity to claim a place before, unfortunately, these places disappear.

COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community, with 14 new cases reported in Niagara on Saturday. There were 176 active cases in the region with 10 COVID-19 patients in hospital.

Hirji told regional advisers on Friday that 40% of new cases in the region since June 1 are people who caught the virus from someone in their own household. This person caught the virus, brought it home, and spread it to others they live with.

But from whom did this first person get COVID?

Nineteen percent of new cases got COVID-19 from a friend and six percent from colleagues.

“It really underscores why we’ve talked so much about limiting social interactions because people socialize with friends, socialize with coworkers during breaks or lunches and, unfortunately, this is how they get infected with COVID-19. “said Hirji.

“They come into the house and spread to everyone and that’s really how most infections go up and spread in Niagara.”

Hirji said that is why people are always asked to keep two meters from each other, limit the size of gatherings, and limit the potential spread to households.

The other sources of new COVID cases this month were from family members who do not live in the same household at 4% and epidemics at 6%. Twenty-five percent of new cases have sources that cannot be traced.

Niagara had distributed 423,127 doses of the vaccine to residents as of Saturday.

Most people who made their first appointment for a vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic in Ontario received an appointment for the second dose 16 weeks later, although the vaccine manufacturers recommended intervals. three to four weeks depending on clinical trials.

The move was to expand the vaccine supply to get as many people vaccinated as possible with their first doses.

Ontario has said it will now offer second doses at an interval of four weeks or later, depending on vaccine availability.

“The vaccine rollout in Ontario continues to accelerate, allowing us to deliver more second doses ahead of schedule while supporting our most at-risk communities,” Department of Health Christine Elliott said in a statement on Friday. hurry.

“All vaccines offer strong protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, and I encourage everyone to make an appointment for the second dose as soon as possible.”

People aged 70 and over already have the option to book expedited appointments, just like those who have received AstraZeneca.

People can make an appointment for a second accelerated dose starting at 8 a.m. Monday on the province’s website at covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine or by calling 1-833-943-3900. People 12 years of age and older can make an appointment for the first dose at any time.

The province said it expects to receive 5.2 million doses of Moderna and 4.7 million doses of Pfizer in June and 3.54 million additional doses of Pfizer in July.