Vaccine rollout continues across Sarnia-Lambton
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Lambton’s top public health official said more information will be available soon on how the region’s residents age 80 and above can get in line for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ontario announced Wednesday an online portal for eligible recipients in that age group will be available March 15. Dr. Sudit Ranade, Lambton’s medical officer of health, said additional information will be provided “in the coming days” on opening up immunizations to the 80-plus general population.
“Lots of work going on on that front,” he said.
Ranade said local officials received the “first batch ever” of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this week and local high-risk health-care workers are one of the main targets.
“Many of them are affiliated with the hospital,” Ranade said.
Bluewater Health distributed several shots Tuesday at the hospitals in Sarnia and Petrolia. Mobile teams will also be taking the Pfizer product to local retirement homes that weren’t considered “high risk” during the initial rollout earlier this month.
A total of 1,554 doses have been given to high-priority local residents, Lambton public health reported in its weekly immunization update.
Officials also expect to receive more doses of Moderna later this week, and it will be used to “circle back” for second doses at long-term care and high-risk retirement homes and elder-care institutions, Ranade said. Essential caregivers and staff working at those facilities will also be offered the vaccine as officials return.
“At the time that we immunized the residents, we did not have enough vaccine to immunize the staff and essential caregivers,” he said, “but now we do.”
Additionally, officials are planning to delivery what’s expected to be a “steady or increasing supply” of the Pfizer doses to high-priority people based on the province’s criteria, Ranade said.
A new outbreak was declared Wednesday inside Marshall Gowland Manor after a staff member tested positive, officials said. The employee is not a direct-care staffer and hasn’t been inside the 126-bed long-term care facility on Devine Street since testing positive, Lambton public health said in a statement.
“We want to assure the people who live at Marshall Gowland Manor, their families and our staff that their health and safety continues to be our top priority,” Jane Joris, Lambton County’s general manager of long-term care, said in a statement. “We are confident in the protection and prevention measures that are in place and will continue conducting thorough, routine staff testing to keep the people living at the home and our staff safe and healthy.”
It’s the facility’s third outbreak during the year-long pandemic, although just one positive test surfaced each of the previous two occasions.
The latest incident increased the region’s outbreak total to six. The Sarnia Jail was the most widespread, with 47 inmates and five staff linked to confirmed cases.
The number of active local cases dropped to 72 from 94, Lambton public health reported. There were three more confirmed cases overall for a running total of 2,038, along with 25 additional recoveries for 1,920 since the pandemic began.
The death toll still stood at 46.
One student case at Northern Collegiate and two cases – one staff and one student – at Lansdowne elementary have been reported at the Sarnia schools by the Lambton Kent District school board. Both schools remain open.
No area Catholic schools had cases linked to them Wednesday.
The region moved to red earlier this week in Ontario’s colour-coded restrictions system. It was based in part on a weekly incidence rate of 60 confirmed cases per 100,000 people, which is above the threshold of 40. The latest rate, updated every Wednesday, was 56.
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