The Halton Region says it will be slowing down its vaccination pace next week.
The vaccination rate for residents 12-years-old and older has been very successful. With that, the Region will be closing the COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) and Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) on Monday, August 16th.
“We have reached a significant milestone in our COVID-19 vaccine rollout, with 81% of residents having received one dose and 65% of residents fully vaccinated,” says Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Thanks to the commitment of Halton residents to get vaccinated and the tremendous work of our clinic staff. Over 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at our hospital clinics, and I am extremely grateful for our hospital partners for their dedication and contributions to the vaccine rollout over the past several months to get us to this pivotal point.”
The Region adds that residents who had vaccine appointments scheduled at Joseph Brant Hospital and Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on or after August 16th are being notified that their appointments will be cancelled, with options to reschedule at another Halton clinic, pharmacy or primary care provider.
The Halton Region is working on a plan to also begin consolidating community vaccination clinics by the end of the summer. Coupled with expanded access to COVID-19 vaccines through pharmacy and primary care offices, Halton Region Public Health will continue to deliver and expand its targeted community outreach to support anyone who may experience barriers to vaccination and ensure no one is left behind. In addition, several clinic locations will transition to immunization clinics that will offer non-COVID vaccines to students in Grade 7, 8 and 9 as part of the school immunization program. This will provide Halton with an opportunity to catch-up eligible students who were not able to get vaccinated with these important vaccines due to the pandemic.
“I am grateful for our hospital partners who have been instrumental in the Halton vaccine rollout and provided high quality care to our community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Halton Region Medical Officer of Health. “While this is an important step to return to normal, it’s critical that more residents get fully vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and our community. Each and every dose counts, and getting your second dose will give you better protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant. #RollUpYourSleevesHalton and let’s make it a two dose summer so we can avoid a fourth wave in the Fall.”
“It was a privilege to be the first Vaccination Centre in Halton Region and to be part of the largest immunization rollout in a generation,” says Denise Hardenne, President & CEO, Halton Healthcare. “By August 15 we expect to have administered 200,000 vaccines at the OTMH Vaccination Centre. With community clinics now well established and the demand for vaccines decreasing, the closing of hospital vaccination centres will provide us with the opportunity to focus on our recovery plan. I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of our staff and physicians for their dedication and tremendous efforts in the fight against COVID-19.”
“Since opening in March, over 58,000 vaccinations were administered at the Joseph Brant Hospital vaccination clinic,” says Eric Vandewall, President and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital. “I would like to thank our hard-working staff, physicians and volunteers who helped make this clinic a success, and for their ongoing commitment to meet the needs of our community during the pandemic. I also would like to thank the residents of Halton Region for their overwhelming support of our clinic, our people and our hospital – we are so grateful and honoured by your kind and encouraging words, emails, social media posts, lawn signs and letters.”
