Renfrew County and Distribt Health Unit released the following on Dec.17:
Effective Monday, December 20th, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) and its partners will be expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccination third dose (booster) in line with the province, meaning that everyone 18 years of age and over who received their second dose a minimum of 84 days ago will be able to book an appointment.
As such, the Health Unit has started ramping up vaccinations and more are coming over the next two weeks. The Health Unit is cautioning that appointments in our region won’t be readily available for a least a week or more as efforts to once again ramp up vaccine distribution must first take place.
“As of Monday, we will have approximately 62,000 people eligible to receive their third dose of the vaccine – in addition to the several thousand 5-11 year olds we are starting to vaccinate,” said Dr. Robert Cushman, Acting Medical Officer of Health, RCDHU. “Based on the current clinic setups and their capacities, we won’t be able to keep up with anticipated demand in the first few weeks.”
He said that will soon change as major plans are underway to significantly ramp up distribution in the region, with the biggest increases in available appointments coming by the first week of January. He added that everyone is working together to expedite the process, supported by the province and the whole health care system.
In the meantime, those looking to book an appointment locally can do so via the following online link: https://www.rcdhu.com/booking-your-covid-19-vaccine/.
Individuals are encouraged to ask a family member or friend to assist if they are unable to navigate the booking site themselves.
ONLY those who have no online access should be calling the health unit with regards to booking an appointment. Those calling in are experiencing very long delays because people are calling to say they can’t find an online appointment.
Dr. Cushman noted that if there are no online appointments available, that is because all appointments have been booked. More will open as vaccination capacity expands throughout Renfrew County.
He is hopeful that the Health Unit should be able to vaccinate upwards of 40,000 residents by the end of January.
Those who aren’t willing to wait can also look to local pharmacies for vaccination opportunities.
For more information, visit RCDHU’s website or call 613-732-3629 or 1-800-267-1097.
RCD COVID-19 Vaccine Communications Committee(2021,Dec.17) RCDHU Asks Residents to Be Patient as Ontario Rapidly Expands Third Dose Eligibility [media release]
