Vaccination updates for Sudbury, Manitoulin and Algoma
Public Health Sudbury & Districts and Algoma Public Health are offering several opportunities for first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine once you are eligible.
Mobile clinics will be at 100 Nairn Road in Nairn Centre and Goodman’s Motel in McKerrow and appointment and walk-in clinics will be at Manitoulin Secondary School today.
There will be an appointment and walk-in clinic at Espanola High School tomorrow.
The Mobile Clinic will be at the Espanola Mall on Friday.
Pop-up and walk-up clinics are also happening throughout the Algoma District.
Second dose appointments must be booked after you have received your first dose.
Visit the Algoma District COVID-19 vaccination<https://www.algomapublichealth.com/disease-and-illness/infectious-diseases/novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/vaccine-clinics-in-algoma/> page and find one near you.
Visit Public Health Sudbury & Districts online for up-to-date clinic details, including the clinic times, the mRNA vaccine brand that is planned and the quantities at phsd.ca/COVID-19/vaccine-clinics.
Questions about vaccination
Whether you have questions about getting your first or second dose of vaccine or you have questions about youth vaccination, our clinic immunizers as well as our call centre staff can help answer your questions. Your health care provider is also a trusted source of reliable and credible information. Choosing vaccination is a choice and everyone deserves to have the information they need to be well informed.
Vaccine brands offered and supplies
All Public Health clinics offer one of two mRNA vaccine brands—either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech—and these can be safely interchanged. Based on vaccine supplies, the vaccine brand planned for use at any clinic is subject to change, possibly with limited notice. We encourage you to ask our immunizers for more information to help you make an informed decision and feel comfortable about getting either vaccine brand. To learn which mRNA vaccine brands are planned for our clinics, visit phsd.ca/COVID-19/vaccine-clinics.
Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines
Everyone over the age of 12 can get their first dose of an mRNA vaccine.
Everyone aged 18 and over can receive either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, these two mRNA vaccines can be safely interchanged.
Currently, only Pfizer-BioNTech is approved for youth aged 12 to 17.
Anyone who received their first dose of vaccine more than 21 days ago (Pfizer-BioNTech) or 28 days ago (Moderna).
People who received AstraZeneca 56 days ago (at least 8 weeks) and who would like to get an mRNA vaccine.
Second dose appointments
The provincial online booking system for COVID-19 vaccination automatically books a second dose appointment 112 days (16 weeks) after the first dose. This second dose appointment is not valid. Individuals must book their second dose appointments after receiving their first dose. There is enough vaccine to mean that the 112-day wait for the second dose is no longer needed.
To book online, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine or call 705.674.2299 (toll-free: 1.800.708.2505), between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. For a list of scheduled clinics, visit phsd.ca/COVID-19/vaccine-clinics. You can also register online daily for the standby list for appointment-based clinics (online only).
Preparing for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment
All vaccination clinics have COVID-safety measures in place. You must not attend a clinic if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or if you are in isolation due to a COVID-19 exposure.
Bring your health card. If you do not have a health card or your health card is expired, bring another form of government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license, passport, Status card, or birth certificate.
Eat and drink something before you arrive at your appointment to prevent feeling faint or dizzy while being vaccinated.
Dress for the weather, you may have to wait in line if you plan on attending a walk-in clinic.
Wear a top that allows for easy access to the upper arm such as a loose-fitting top or a t-shirt.
Wear a mask that covers your nose, mouth, and chin.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not attend the clinic.
For more information or if you have questions, please talk to trusted sources such as Public Health immunizers at COVID-19 vaccine clinics, health care providers, and pharmacists, visit phsd.ca/COVID-19 or call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).
NDP calls for mandatory vaccination
Ontario Liberal leader Stephen Del Duca is calling on Premier Doug Ford to mandate vaccinations for front-line workers, like teachers and healthcare employees.
Del Duca says compulsory vaccinations are needed to protect our most vulnerable citizens, and to keep our schools, and our economy, open.
He says with vaccination rates falling off, action is needed and we can’t simply give up on protecting people against the coronavirus.
But Ford continues to resist calls for mandatory vaccinations, saying he won’t force anyone to get their shots.
He adds he’s confident those in front-line positions will get their inoculations voluntarily.
Getting back to school
Six weeks from today, school is set to resume across Ontario and the Premier says there’ll be a plan in place to make sure students are back to in-person classes.
Ford says a program for a safe restart is being developed by Education Minister Stephen Lecce and the province’s chief medical officer of health, Doctor Kieran Moore and it will be out shortly.
The government’s science advisory table has recommended a near-normal return to the classroom in all but extreme cases.
It’s also suggested that students and staff wear face masks if there’s a moderate or high chance of COVID-19 transmission in a school’s region.
Coronavirus around the world
Southeast Asia is the current world hotspot for COVID-19, as the more contagious Delta variant sweeps across the globe.
Thailand reported a record number of new infections yesterday, for the second day in a row.
Malaysia now reports a total of one million cases since the pandemic began, despite a lockdown that began in June.
Vietnam’s caseload increased by almost eight thousand yesterday, that’s just shy of a recordset on the weekend.