By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit has announced that the Ontario government is now offering the bivalent COVID-19 booster to all Ontarians aged 18 and older, beginning with the most vulnerable populations.
Appointments can now be booked through the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre (1-833-943-3900) for the following groups.
- Residents of long-term-care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges and other congregate settings that provide assisted-living and health services
- First Nation, Inuit and Metis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18 and older
- Moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and older
- Pregnant individuals aged 18 and older
- Health-care workers aged 18 and older
- Seniors aged 70 and older
For all other individuals, appointments can be booked stating the week of Sept. 26.
“I would like to encourage all residents aged 18 and over to receive the bivalent booster dose as recommended by the Ministry of Health,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking urged in the press release.
Health unit reports, updated weekly, showed that there were 25 new cases last week in Northumberland County, up from four the week prior to that.
“We know that vaccine protection decreases over time, and now is the time to better protect yourself for the upcoming fall season with the bivalent booster.”
The health unit will upload appointments to the provincial portal based on vaccine supply. For now, in Northumberland County, there are vaccination clinics planned by appointment only on Sept. 19, 20, 26 and 27 at the Knights of Columbus Community Centre (232 Spencer St. E., Cobourg) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And bivalent booster doses should also be available through pharmacies beginning Sept. 19.
Individuals are recommended to receive the bivalent booster at least six months from their previous dose (and would be eligible to receive it at a minimum interval of three months), regardless of how many boosters they have already received.
The health unit remind parents and guardians that appointments can still be booked through any available health-unit clinic for shots in the six-months-to-four-years primary series, as well as booster doses for those aged five to 17. All previously booked booster appointments for Sept. 12 to 25 will be honoured and, if it is available, the bivalent vaccine will be offered.
