NWHU COVID-19 vaccination walk-in clinics wrapping up
Tim Brody - Editor
The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) will begin to wrap up their COVID-19 mass immunization clinics by the end of July, giving the public a few more weeks to book either their first or second dose appointment to get vaccinated.
NWHU says the vaccine is recommended for anyone aged 12 or older and is shown to protect against variants of concern, including the Delta variant.
NWHU shared in a June 25 news release that, “Mass immunizations clinics have been running in the region since March, and over 85,000 doses of the vaccine have been given in the area. Local statistics show that over 73% of people aged 18 years and older have been vaccinated with at least one dose in the NWHU region, while nearly 50% of the area’s adults have received their second dose.”
NWHU assured that as the need for large clinics comes to an end, there will still be opportunities to get vaccinated. “Everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will still be able to get one after our mass clinics have stopped. NWHU and partners like health care providers and some pharmacies will continue to give shots to anyone eligible, however an appointment is likely to be needed,” said Dr. Kit Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health at NWHU. “I recommend that anyone who is eligible for either a first or second dose attends a clinic as soon as possible,” she added. Eligibility, booking, and daily walk-in clinic information can be found on the NWHU’s website.
“Anyone who had a second dose appointment booked automatically when booking their first dose should reschedule their second dose at an earlier date, as previously booked appointments will be cancelled. Over the next few weeks, NWHU will be reaching out to anyone aged 18+ who had a first dose at least 28 days ago who has not yet had their second shot,” NWHU shared.
In August, NWHU will host youth clinics for second doses for those under the age of 18. More information about these clinics will be shared closer to the date of the clinics.
For information on booking an appointment for either a first or second dose, people can visit:
www.nwhu.on.ca/covid19 or call the NWHU hotline at 1-866-468-2240.
As of the afternoon of June 28, there were seven active cases of COVID-19 in the NWHU catchment area.