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COVID-19 Vaccine Bulletin - March 4, 2021

Volume 6 – Issued March 4, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Bulletin

All COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and have shown promising early results against the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant of concern. In addition to public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, choosing to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available to you, will protect you and the community against COVID-19 infection as well as potentially devastating outcomes.

Every week, a new COVID-19 vaccine bulletin is released where readers will learn about COVID-19 vaccines, receive updates on COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the Porcupine Health Unit district, as well as provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine announcements.

Planning

The Porcupine Health Unit is responsible to lead the local COVID-19 vaccination program. To date, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout throughout the district has been a success and would not have been possible without the ongoing collaboration and commitment of hospitals, Primary care, First Nation communities, Emergency Medical Services, Indigenous representatives, and the North East Local Health Integration Network to plan the immunization program and mass immunizations clinics.

The Porcupine Health Unit

  • COVID-19 vaccine clinics continue with community partner organizations to reach eligible groups.
  • The Porcupine Health Unit is moving forward with vaccine administration for the rest of Phase One population groups across the district. The schedule below may be accelerated as additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine is received:
    • First week of March 2021 include these eligible populations:
      • Staff and essential caregivers of long-term care homes (LTCH) and high- risk retirement homes (HRRH)
      • Complete 2nd doses for LTCH, HRRH and First Nation Elder Care residents
      • Indigenous adults in northern remote and higher risk communities (adults, 55+)
      • Highest Priority health care workers (HCW) (as per the Ministry of Health’s Guidance for Prioritizing Health Care Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination)
      • Residents, staff, and essential caregivers of retirement homes
    • Second week of March 2021 include these eligible populations:
      • Adult chronic home care recipients
      • Indigenous adults in northern remote and higher risk communities (adults, 55+)
    • Third and fourth week of March 2021 include these eligible populations:
    • The Porcupine Health Unit will announce community immunization clinics and provide more information on COVID-19 vaccine appointment scheduling and eligibility for vaccines closer to when these community clinics become available.
    • Online and telephone vaccine appointment booking will soon be available through the health unit’s website or by calling 1-800- 461-1818. On March 15, 2021 the provincial online booking system and customer service desk will be launched.
    • Planning is always ongoing in preparation for subsequent population groups that will become eligible for vaccination in coming weeks to ensure a seamless transition throughout each phase of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan.

Vaccine Rollout & Announcements

On February 26, 2021, after independent and thorough scientific review to ensure safety, efficacy and quality, Health Canada announced the approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has announced that 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be received in Canada over the next few months from the Serum Institute of India, with:

  • the first 500,000 doses of this vaccines arriving this week,
  • an additional 1 million doses in April 2021, and
  • the remaining 500,000 doses in May 2021

The Canadian Government has purchased an additional 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the United States. The expected delivery date of these 20 million doses is yet to be determined.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is now recommending an extended interval between doses for COVID-19 vaccines (up to 4 months). This recommendation is based on best current available scientific information. Extending the interval between doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines will maximize the number of people who will benefit from the protection offered by the first dose of these vaccines. This updated recommendation will allow access to COVID-19 vaccine sooner and provide protection to more adults across Canada. Real-world evidence indicates that there is still high effectiveness several weeks after the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection and hospitalization. Effectiveness after two doses is higher than with the first dose therefore it remains important to still receive the second dose of vaccine. Based on the anticipated supply of vaccine in Canada, the second dose of vaccines will be available within 4 months from the first dose.

AstraZeneca Vaccine Safety & Effectiveness

  • As with all vaccines approved for use in Canada, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was extensively evaluated by Health Canada and this vaccine was approved for use as the benefits outweigh the potential risk. All safety standards have been met for approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Side effects are mild, do not cause health risks, and are similar to other routine vaccines. In clinical trials, the most commonly reported side effects included things like pain at the site of injection, body chills, feeling tired and feeling feverish.
  • In clinical trials, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was found to be 62% effective overall at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection when both doses of the vaccine were received 4 to 12 weeks apart.
  • The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is a viral vector-based vaccine.
  • This vaccine is approved for use in adults 18 years of age and older. However, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) does not recommend that adults 65 years of age and older receive this vaccine as there is limited information available for this population.
  • The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick or put you at risk of complications of the actual COVID-19 illness.
  • By getting vaccinated you are protecting yourself and your community. 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.

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

The authorization of additional vaccines to fight this pandemic can only help. The advantages of earlier vaccination outweigh the drawbacks of vaccinating with a less effective vaccine.  They provide additional tools to fight this pandemic as quickly as possible and will provide more supply to meet the public health need of our communities and the country and help protect lives. All COVID-19 vaccines authorized by Health Canada, regardless of differences in efficacy against symptomatic disease, will contribute to reducing severe COVID-19 illness and death in Canada. 

Public health measures are effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19, including the variants of concern, and our joint effort is required to reduce the spread and protect those at highest risk to COVID-19 infection and poor outcomes while vaccine efforts are rolled out.

Visit Employment (porcupinehu.on.ca) to learn about opportunities to become involved in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout or call 1-800-461-1818.

Additional Information: