We have vaccinated 25% of the population...and that's before the bulk of the bulk of vaccines have arrived!

 

Now that's the ticket

Tomorrow morning, the Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin Health Unit will hit a great milestone. They will reach a 25 % vaccination rate. That means that 25 % of the population in this health unit have received at least one dose of a vaccine. The rest of the province is quickly reaching that number too. Awesome. Stellar work by all you beautiful public health employees and volunteers in every public health unit. We are glad you have our backs. As of this morning, our public health unit has started Phase III. I did a little in-office happy dance when I heard this. This means that anyone 16 and up can now register. Hold the fort a bit. When news of this got out, public health was overwhelmed with calls and their website went under for a bit. It may be difficult to register this week as the masses attempt to get in line but everyone will get a vaccine. When you register online, you will receive an email and/or a text notification confirming your registration. It may take 8 to 12 weeks before you receive your appointment time. Do not worry and do not call public health to ask when you will receive an appointment. You will receive one. The speed at which you receive an appointment is very much dependent on vaccine availability, not on public health's capacity to book appointments. If all goes according to plan, vaccine availability will increase dramatically by the end of April and into May. That will change our game plan and allow us to get everyone vaccinated sooner. If anyone 65 years of age or older preregistered more than 2 weeks ago but has not yet received a booking code ( needed to book your appointment) call this Booking Helpline: 1-844-780-0202 Remember that the first dose of vaccine gives you enough immunity to safely wait 16 weeks after the first dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines before receiving the second. Don't panic, the decision to extend the interval between dosages was the right decision. Many folks who have received their first vaccine have not yet received the date of their second vaccine. Again, don't worry. You will receive an appointment time. Remember that our community becomes much more safe for all of us when we reach our 75 % ( of the population vaccinated) target. Don't forget the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is safe for people over the age of 55. It is also very effective. I have 7 family members in their sixties. Four have already received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Many pharmacies and some doctors offices have this vaccine available across the province. You could have your first dose tomorrow if you are in this age group and a pharmacy near you has an appointment time available. Get a vaccine. Countries that have vaccinated 60 % of their populations ( USA, UK and Israel ) have crushed their third waves and are now re-opening their small businesses and restaurants. We could very well get to 60 % during this lockdown. But, it takes a combination of heavy lockdowns and mass vaccinations to get this done. Follow the provincial emergency orders: stay home, no non-essential travel, absolutely no indoor gathering of any kind, wear a mask and limit outdoor gatherings to five or less. These new variants are nasty. These guidelines will keep you safe. I am particularly worried about places of work. Tighten up your work place restrictions if they have become a little lax. We are riding a nasty third wave but this time, vaccines are here!!! Stay strong, stay hopeful!!! Anne-Marie Please share. Go to

www.wdgpublichealth.ca/register for more information about vaccine pre-registration. There is a Vaccine Registration and Booking Helpline: 1-844-780-0202 (Mon-Sat, 12-8 pm) for anyone who has issues pre-registering or booking online. For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here: https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/ And if you'd like to help Bracelet of Hope work towards making sure that Lesotho has access to these vaccines, donate here: https://www.braceletofhope.ca/ways-to-