Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials. (Photo courtesy of the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit)Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials. (Photo courtesy of the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit)
Chatham

More COVID-19 vaccines available in Chatham-Kent

The march to normalcy continues in Chatham-Kent with more COVID-19 vaccination clinics being offered this week and next.

A vaccine clinic will be open on Thursday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centre located at 808 Dufferin Avenue in Wallaceburg. The clinic will be offering the Moderna vaccine to anyone 18 years of age and older.

Residents are being asked to book an appointment by calling 519-397-5455, extension 322 but walk-ins will be accepted if they're able. The clinic will accept individuals for their first or second dose of Moderna as long as they meet the provincial eligibility for the second dose interval. Individuals seeking a second dose should call in advance to book an appointment to confirm they meet the provincial eligibility.

“This is great news. We are pleased to announce that pop up clinics are coming to your community! We want to make it easy for anyone who wants to be vaccinated to be able to do so," said Primary Care Vaccination Lead Dr. Vishal Chawla. "Offering this opportunity to our citizens in C-K is another step closer to getting us back to a sense of normalcy. Vaccines save lives.”

Online registrations are also being accepted for the COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Bothwell on June 8, 2021. That clinic will be held at the Bothwell Area Sport Complex located at 860 Main Street  and it will be open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to those 18 and older only. Online appointments can be made by visiting GetYourShotCK.ca.

On Wednesday, Chatham-Kent Public Health reported an estimated 58 per cent of the population in Chatham-Kent 12 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Local public health officials also reported zero new cases and two resolved cases to bring the total number of active cases down to 15. All of the other daily statistics remained the same. The three week old COVID-19 outbreak in the Medicine Unit at Chatham hospital remains active with one case. Hospital President and CEO Lori Marshall said on Monday that she anticipates the outbreak to be declared over likely by Thursday. There are no other COVID-19 outbreaks listed in the area.

The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) also reported eight COVID-19 patients in the Chatham hospital on Wednesday, the same number as on Tuesday, but the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Medical, Surgical, and Critical Care Unit are still packed. CKHA said late Wednesday afternoon that the ICU's occupancy is at 90 per cent and the occupancy in the Medical, Surgical, and Critical Care Unit is at 94 per cent. Only one of the patients in the ICU is a COVID-19 patient and that person is on a ventilator. The rest are not COVID-19 patients. Marshall said last week that some of the hospital beds are not accessible because of the outbreak in the Medicine Unit.

The stay-at-home order has now ended but the current COVID-19 restrictions remain in place until Step One of the provincial Roadmap to Reopen begins, likely on June 14, according to the province. Those restrictions can be found by clicking here.

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