Journal Staff
About 10% of Sarnia-Lambton’s eligible population has now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
A total of 11,404 first doses have been administered and 1,251 second doses, Lambton’s Medical Officer of Health said today.
“That’s about six times more than the number of people who have had COVID-19 in the community,” Dr. Sudit Ranade said.
“I think that’s on par with the national average.”
Another 2,246 people in Sarnia-Lambton have had COVID-19 and recovered from the virus. And while scientists believe they are immune for up to six months those people are still eligible for a shot, he said.
“Right now, whether or not you’ve had COVID-19 is not one of the considerations for getting the vaccine.”
Vaccinations will be postponed, however, if someone is acutely ill or in isolation for potential COVID-19 exposure, he said.
Meanwhile, residents age 74 to 79 as well as one in-home caregiver can now book a vaccine shot at one of three fixed site clinics.
Visit Lambton Public Health’s Registration page and once you’ve completed the pre-registration process there you will receive an invitation to schedule an appointment directly.
However, if you run into problems with preregistration a local call centre is open to assist, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 519-383-8331. The centre will also be open on Saturday, March 20.
Meanwhile, the local COVID-19 picture is not getting better. Sarnia-Lambton’s infection rate has grown to 119 cases per 100,000 residents, one of the highest in Ontario.
Dr. Ranade said today the growing prevalence of COVID-19 variants is placing other municipalities on track to join Sarnia-Lambton in “grey-lockdown” status. And more restrictions may be coming.
“If the cases continue to go up and the health system is threatened then (Ontario) may have to go back to the stay-at-home orders,” he said.
“The most effective interventions to prevent COVID are the ones that keep people physically apart from each other.”
Sarnia-Lambton has had 36 cases involving a suspected “Variant of Concern” such as the U.K. variant, and none of them are linked to international travel, he said.
“The concerns around variants are mounting. There’s increasing numbers of variants across the province,” Ranade said, noting the mutations are much more transmissible than the original strain.
“Over time you’re going to see more and more of them.”
