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COVID-19 Vaccine Bulletin - May 17, 2021

Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine is Quick and Easy

Anyone 12 years of age and older is eligible to attend a mass-immunization clinic offered through the Porcupine Health Unit for their FIRST dose.

Book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment online, or by calling 705-360-4819 (Timmins) or 1-800-461-1818.

Some primary healthcare providers will be starting to offer mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and will be reaching out to their clients to schedule a vaccine appointment.

News Highlights

COVID-19 Vaccine Numbers

  • Vaccine doses given at PHU mass immunization clinics: 36,384.
  • Number of people vaccinated with at least 1 dose of vaccine in the PHU area: 35,046.
  • 53% of individuals 18 years of age and older in the PHU area have received at least one dose of vaccine.

I will not get COVID-19 from the vaccine

Porcupine Health Unit COVID-19 Information Line

Call with any inquiries about COVID-19. If you or a loved one are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine but are experiencing barriers to accessing the vaccine clinics and need support, call the health unit.
Timmins: 705-360-4819 Toll free: 1-800-461-1818

Expanded Eligibility for COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Through PHU Clinics

On May 17, 2021, the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) announced that all individuals 12 years of age and older are now eligible to book into upcoming COVID-19 vaccine clinics to receive the first dose of vaccine. Pfizer-BioNTech and/or Moderna are administered at the mass immunization clinics offered through the PHU. Individuals 12-17 years of age must book appointments in the Pfizer-BioNTech clinics. Pfizer is the only Health Canada approved vaccine for this age group.

Shortened Interval for Dose 2 of COVID-19 Vaccine Available to Additional Groups

The Ontario government has added more groups to the list of those eligible to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier than the extended four-month interval. The Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) is planning for second dose clinics for the following eligible groups:

  • Urban Indigenous adults (18 years and older) and their household members who are 18 years and
  • Recipients of hemodialysis or peritoneal
  • High risk health care workers. A list of eligible health care workers is available at High-Risk Health Care Workers Eligible to Receive a Second Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine at a Shortened Interval | Ontario Newsroom.
  • Long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care and Assisted Living
  • On-reserve First Nations members and remote and isolated First Nation
  • Transplant
  • Individuals with malignant hematologic disorders and non-hematologic malignant solid tumors receiving active treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, radiation).

 

If you are eligible for a shortened interval for the second dose, do not book into our clinics that are currently being offered across the PHU region. You must receive the same vaccine for your first and second dose. The PHU is planning clinics to ensure eligible individuals are booked in the right clinic so they receive the right vaccine for their second dose. For more information on how to schedule an appointment for your second dose, visit the PHU website at Second Doses of the COVID- 19 Vaccine (porcupinehu.on.ca).

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