W-E Health Unit hopes to start older adult vaccinations by mid-March

REGIONAL — Dr. Wajid Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer of Health for the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, says that COVID-19 vaccines could be in the arms of the 79+ general population, as early as mid- March.

At his daily briefing on Monday morning, Ahmed said that, provided the vaccine supply arrives as promised, the health unit is making preparations to facilitate vaccinating seniors in different areas throughout the county.

The region’s vaccine rollout plan calls for three phases, with Phase 1 currently being administered at long-term care homes and hospitals.

Phase 2 calls for the vaccinations of all health care workers, continuation of long term care facilities, additional home-care patients with chronic conditions and First Nations communities in urban indigenous settings.

At that point, the vaccines will then be offered to older adults who have reached the age of 79, people who work in congregate settings like shelters and community living, frontline essential workers, such as teachers and other education staff, first responders and the food processing industry. Individuals with high-risk chronic conditions and their caregivers will also be on the Phase 2 list.

The 79+ age limit will decrease in intervals of five years as the vaccines make their way through the communities.

To keep updated on the Windsor-Essex vaccine plans, visit wechu.org and click on the COVID-19 vaccine button.

As of press time, over 11,000 Windsor-Essex residents have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Over in Chatham-Kent, the vaccine rollout is going along a similar path, with officials there saying that they are in Phase 1A of the rollout plan.

Phase 1A and 1B include high-risk members of the population, including frontline healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, alternative level of care patients in hospitals.

Phase 1B will include residents in the general population who are 80 and over, the rest of the healthcare workers, indigenous adults and adults requiring chronic home care.

Chatham-Kent expects to be vaccinating the 1B group from March into April.

They too, will start with the general population in Phase 2, beginning with the people in the 79-60 group, in five-year increments.

Visit ckphu.org for more information on when to expect the vaccine rollout to reach you in Chatham-Kent.