A total of 850 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Chatham-Kent.
The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit released the updated total on the ‘current situation’ page of their website on Thursday, February 11, 2021.
Meanwhile, the Province also announced on Thursday the first round of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in every long-term care home across Ontario to eligible residents who wanted one.
Dr. David Colby, Medical Officer of Health for Chatham-Kent, confirmed CK Public Health has vaccinated first doses for all long-term care homes, with the exception of Fairfield Park, and the four at risk retirement homes in Chatham-Kent.
Dr. Colby also confirmed that vaccine is being held in reserve for residents at Fairfield Park.
“We are ready to go,” Dr. Colby said during a virtual media conference on Thursday, February 11, 2021.
“Fairfield hasn’t been done yet, but they will as soon as that outbreak starts to really get under control… the number of new cases has slowed very markedly. So that shouldn’t be very long. We’ll get a team in there and get people vaccinated.”
CK Public Health officials a total of 98 positive COVID-19 cases have been linked to the outbreak at Fairfield, which was first declared on January 10, 2021. Two Fairfield Park residents, both women in their 90’s, have died from COVID-19 during this outbreak, public health officials added.
Fairfield Park officials said on Thursday that 24 active cases remain among residents and 31 active cases among staff.
Dr. Colby said the Ministry has not authorized any health units currently “to go beyond” residents in long-term care facilities, high risk retirement homes and Indigenous elder care centres.
“Those are the only groups that are authorized to give new first doses right now,” he said.
“We’re all waiting for an announcement on the vaccine, but a fair number of health units have vaccine that they’re not using at the moment and we’re not happy about that. We want to get that into people’s arms just as soon as possible. They’re very concerned about running out and not having enough to boost people, who got their first doses on time.”
Dr. Colby added: “We are not sitting on very much vaccine at all in Chatham-Kent, but I do have enough to do Fairfield once that outbreak starts to settle down.”
A home on Delaware Nation is being finished with their first doses of vaccine on Thursday, February 11, 2021, Dr. Colby added.
First round of COVID-19 vaccinations completed in all Ontario long-term care homes
Provincial officials say the first round of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in every long-term care home across Ontario to eligible residents who wanted one.
This goal was achieved despite repeated delays and reductions of vaccine shipments.
To date, more than 62,000 long-term care residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 34,000 residents have received their second dose.
“It is critically important to vaccinate, and provide an extra layer of protection, for the residents in our long-term care homes and those who care for them,” said Premier Doug Ford in a media release.
“But due to a shortage of supply and unpredictable deliveries, meeting our goals has been a challenge. Thanks to the well-oiled machine here in Ontario, led by General Hillier and his team, we have made incredible progress in our vaccine rollout, offering our seniors and their families peace of mind during this difficult period.”
Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, said this milestone marks an important step towards the immunization of Ontario’s most vulnerable.
“As we await details and timelines on further shipments from the federal government, I remain grateful for the coordinated efforts of all of our health care partners for quickly delivering the available vaccines to our loved ones,” Dr. Fullerton stated in a media release.
As the administration of second doses continues, Ontario will maintain the recommended interval of 21-27 days for residents who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Provincial officials say.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario has invested $1.38-billion to ensure that long-term care homes have the resources they need to battle this virus.
The government has also taken action to address urgent staffing shortages, including enabling the deployment of hospital staff to long-term care homes.
The province’s vaccine strategy prioritizes the most vulnerable populations first, including residents of long-term care homes and high-risk retirement homes.
As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues, the Ontario government is investing an additional $398-million during the second wave of the pandemic to reduce the risk of the virus entering long-term care homes from the community, Provincial officials say.
Ontario has taken steps to enhance protection for long-term care homes through the use of rapid antigen tests to increase the chance of detecting the virus earlier.
To address long-standing staffing challenges, the government has launched one of the largest recruitment and training drives in the province’s history to deliver on its commitment to provide an average of four hours of daily direct care for residents.
