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COVID-19 Vaccine Bulletin - February 12, 2021

Volume 3 – Issued February 12, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Bulletin

COVID-19 vaccines are a safe and effective measure to protect you from COVID-19 illness and potential complications. In addition to public health measures, vaccines can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, keeping people safe and in time allowing for a return to a sense of normalcy when enough people get immunized.

We encourage anyone who can receive the COVID-19 vaccine to do so. When the majority of the populations becomes immune it will help to slow, and hopefully stop, the spread of COVID-19.

Additional research is needed to know what percentage of the population needs to receive the vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19. Health experts will continue to assess the positive effects of vaccination and reduced spread of COVID-19 as more and more people are vaccinated.

Planning

Vaccine logistics are complex and involve several levels of planning and multi-step processes in order to secure and deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to residents in a safe and ethical manner:

  • The Canadian government is responsible for reviewing and approving vaccines to ensure they are safe and effective for use, as well as negotiating agreements with vaccine companies and purchasing
  • The Ontario government is responsible for creating a provincial vaccination plan (Ontario’s Vaccine Distribution Implementation Plan) that includes distributing vaccines throughout the province, providing guidance to support local health partners (e.g. local health units) in delivering vaccines to community members, beginning with groups that are most vulnerable to COVID-19 (Ethical Framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution).
  • The Porcupine Health Unit is responsible for the local COVID-19 vaccination program which includes promoting the importance of the vaccine, receiving, storing, and distributing vaccine doses, as well as leading to immunize community members through the district. In addition, the Porcupine Health Unit collaborates with community partners, First Nations communities, and local facilities to ensure successful delivery of COVID-19 vaccine and co-development of vaccine clinics throughout the

 

The Porcupine Health Unit

  • COVID-19 community immunization clinics for all residents in Moosonee began on February 11, Residents in this community can now book immunization appointments online on the Porcupine Health Unit website.
  • Work with the local COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Committees and the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Task Force is
  • Planning second doses for residents of long-term care homes, high-risk retirement homes and First Nation Elder care residents.

Vaccine Rollout

After scientific review, it has been determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine multidose vials contain six doses, rather than 5 doses of vaccine. As a result, Health Canada announced that changes will be made to the vaccine label to reflect this. All future shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Canada will reflect this change.

Even though there were delays in vaccine shipments and reduced vaccine doses received, the Ontario government remains committed to the goal of vaccinating residents in all long-term care homes across the province as soon as possible.

Information about projected COVID-19 vaccine distribution quantities for provinces and territories is now available on the Government of Canada website: Vaccines and treatments for COVID-19: Vaccine rollout - Canada.ca.

Vaccine Safety & Effectiveness

  • Before vaccines are approved for use in Canada, they must be evaluated by Health Canada. Health Canada reviews the data to assess the benefits and risks of the vaccine. After the review, the vaccine is only approved for use if the benefits outweigh the potential risk. All safety standards have been met for approval of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19
  • These vaccines are safe and effective. Side effects are mild, do not cause health risks, and are similar to other routine vaccines. In clinical trials of both vaccines, the most commonly reported side effects include pain at the injection site, swelling and redness. Other side effects include things like tiredness, fever and body chills. Side effects generally did not last longer than three
  • In clinical trials, the Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was 94.1% effective overall in participants and 4% effective for participants 65 years of age and older.
  • In clinical trials, The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective for all age
  • The Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines cannot make you sick or put you at risk of complications of the actual COVID-19 illness. By getting vaccinated you are protecting yourself. Some people may not be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to a contraindication. When the majority of the population gets vaccinated it helps to protect those who can’t.

By continuing to follow public health measures and getting the COVID-19 vaccine once available (if you do not have contraindications), you are helping to protect yourself.

What are antibodies and why do they matter?

  • When a germ (bacteria or virus) enters the body, the immune system meets the germ and makes new antibodies that “remember” that germ. The antibodies stay in your body even after the disease is gone so that the next time the germ enters your body, those antibodies will help fight off the disease before it can make you This is called immunity.
  • You don’t need to get sick to get antibodies and develop immunity. Vaccines let you skip the sickness and go straight to being
  • The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines cannot make you sick and will not put you at risk for complications of COVID-19.
  • Vaccines are the best way to get antibodies that will protect you from disease, severe illness, and Vaccines protect people before they come into contact with the disease. Vaccines
  • work to train the immune system to build antibodies in the same way as if you were exposed to the disease naturally.
  • Individuals who have previously had COVID-19 infection should still receive the COVID-19 vaccine as it is still unknown how long immunity last after recovering from the
  • Based on the clinical studies completed, the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Canada (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) require two doses to achieve protection to COVID-19 and the same vaccine must be received for both doses.

Resources

The Porcupine Health Unit wants to keep you informed about COVID-19 vaccines. Our website now includes a COVID-19 Vaccine page with more information on approved vaccines, vaccine safety and other general information.

Our COVID-19 phone lines remain open. Call us with any COVID-19 related questions you have at 1-800-461-1818.

Moving Forward

As the local COVID-19 vaccine program continue to unfold, we will keep the public informed about updates and successes of program delivery across the district. For now, particularly with the arrival of COVID-19 variants of concern across the province, we continue to strongly recommend and emphasize the importance of continued strict adherence to all public health measures. These measures work and will help keep each other and our communities safe.

Dr. Lianne Catton, Medical Officer of Health

Additional Information: