The Eastern Ontario Health Unit will be using larger municipal facilities like hockey rinks and community centers to administer vaccines as they become available. In this photo volunteers get ready to welcome registered people for their vaccinations. Courtesy Photo
WINCHESTER – North Dundas residents have been patient while they wait for news of the arrival of a vaccine that hopefully will mark the turning point in the pandemic.
On April 2 the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), announced that it was a good time to book an appointment for the vaccine.
Help is on the way.
The vaccination process will be taking place at the Joel Steele Arena in Winchester and eventually will include local pharmacies.
This time around, beginning on April 7, the invitation is for residents 60 years of age and up.
The booking can be done online by going to www.Ontario.ca/bookvaccine. Individuals who require assistance with booking can call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488.
Pre-registration allows for booking appointments quickly and easily as vaccine supply increases and more appointments become available.
In accordance with the latest recommendations, those booking will be given appointments for first and second doses, 16 weeks apart.
The system is able to screen applicants with the help of their health card number and their age so make sure to have your health card handy.
Appointments can be made by an individual or with the help of family or an informal caregiver but family/informal caregivers born after 1961 should not book an appointment for themselves now, however, they may use the EOHU Pre-Registration tool to pre-register for an appointment.
If you have a family member or provide care to someone who was born in 1961 or before, please encourage them to get vaccinated.
Vaccinations will be available by appointment only at vaccine clinics being held across the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry; the United Counties of Prescott-Russell; and the City of Cornwall.
Alternate arrangements will be made for individuals who notify us of barriers preventing them from physically going to a clinic.
Those wishing to change the location of a booked appointment can follow the process they used to book their original appointment and proceed to book a new series of appointments for their first and second dose.
This will automatically cancel their first booked series. Individuals will receive a confirmation email for their new booking followed by a cancellation notice for the previous booking.
The vaccine delivery strategy features different age groups being approved for the vaccine.
At this time, however, only eligible individuals can schedule an appointment. The EOHU is asking the public to help keep the online tools and phone lines available for those who are eligible to book an appointment.
The EOHU has stated: “It remains extremely important to continue following public health precautions – even if you have received the vaccine – until a large majority of residents in our region have been vaccinated.”
For the latest updates about COVID-19 vaccines, including which population groups are eligible to receive it and how to access it, please regularly visit the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s website at www.EOHU.ca/vaccines.
Joseph Morin is the Editor of the Eastern Ontario AgriNews, and the Record. He is, despite years of practice, determined to eventually play the guitar properly. He has served the Eastern Ontario community as a news editor, and journalist for the past 25 years with the Iroquois Chieftain, Kemptville Advance, West Carleton Review, and Ottawa Carleton Review in Manotick. He has never met a book he did not like.
