Youth COVID-19 vaccination clinic December 4

IROQUOIS – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s first COVID-19 vaccination clinic for children 5-11 years old in South Dundas will be on December 4. In a letter sent to parents and guardians yesterday (November 24) the health unit released the first batch of dates as it rolls out this latest round of vaccine clinics.

The South Dundas-based clinic will be held at Seaway District High School in Iroquois from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

School-based clinics run by the EOHU are a walk-in clinic for children living in the EOHU region, and the immediate/household members. No appointment are necessary for the clinic.

Health Canada approved the child-sized formulation of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID vaccine earlier this month.

The health unit says children must be turning five years old by December 31, 2021 (born 2016 or earlier) to receive their first dose.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends eight weeks between the first and second dose of the vaccine.

If you cannot attend the Iroquois clinic, there are clinics planned at Russell High School (December 5), École Secondaire Catholique Régionale de Hawkesbury (December 11), Char-Lan District High School in Williamstown (December 12), St. Lawrence Secondary School in Cornwall (December 18) and École Secondaire Catholique L’Escale in Rockland (December 18). All clinics run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Appointments are available for EOHU-run clinics as well, which can be booked through the provincial booking system at covid19.ontariohealth.ca or call 1-833-943-3900.

Local COVID-19 numbers update

As of the November 25 update by the EOHU, there are 86 active COVID-19 infections, 15 in South Dundas. South Dundas has 119 total cases, an increase of one case since Wednesday.

Since the start of the pandemic there have been 6026 COVID-19 infections, resulting in 131 deaths.

Two people are hospitalized, one person is in intensive care.

School-based infections continue to fuel this latest increase of cases. The EOHU declared an outbreak at St. Mary-St. Cecilia Catholic School in Morrisburg. The school has up to six classes with students self-isolating. While not declared as an outbreak, Seaway District High School, Iroquois Public School, and Nationview Public School in South Mountain all have at least one case. A school outbreak is declared when one or more cases has been traced to transmission within a school.

Elsewhere in the EOHU area, North Dundas has one active infection, North Stormont has no cases, South Stormont 11, and there are 34 cases in the City of Cornwall.

The reproductive rate of cases in the EOHU is at 1.12, meaning every 100 new cases will cause 112 secondary infections. This shows the growth of new cases in the region.

Vaccination rates in the EOHU are at 92 per cent for first dose, and 88.8 per cent for two dose.

The EOHU continues to offer vaccination clinics at its six regional offices. Many pharmacies in the region also offer COVID-19 vaccine doses, including third dose boosters.

In South Dundas, Seaway Valley Pharmacy in Morrisburg and Gilmer Pharmacy in Iroquois offer 12 year old and older COVID-19 vaccinations.

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