It's too early to tell whether or not residents will heed the advice of Ontario's medical officials in getting the flu shot this year, however, Chatham-Kent's medical officer of health said he's hopeful the uptake will be high.
Dr. David Colby said flu vaccines should be available to Chatham-Kent residents within the next two weeks.
"I am signing the medical directives [on Thursday] about authorizing the use of those," he said.
Earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford encouraged Ontarians to get the flu shot. The flu vaccination campaign was announced as part of the first pillar of the province's plan to deal with the second wave of COVID-19 in an effort to help hospitals maintain capacity with the use of the flu shot.
"We want everyone to get the flu shot and this is one of the only jurisdictions in the world where free flu shots are provided," said Colby. "The challenge is getting people to [get] them."
Although Colby said he hopes the "uptake of the flu vaccine is very high" given the current circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal is to also make sure it's done in a way that avoids long lineups.
"It would be nice if this was done in an orderly fashion so that we avoid lineups and congestion at vaccination facilities," said Colby.
He also noted any issues surrounding possible lineups will be addressed.
-With files from Matt Weverink