About 32.6% locally have now received a COVID shot
About 32.6 per cent of the population of Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation has now received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra said Friday.
“While the vaccination rate is good, it’s abundantly clear that we all will need to do more to tame this third wave,” Salvaterra said. “All of our indicators show that it’s proving to be worse than previous waves.”
There have now been 41,148 doses of vaccine administered by Peterborough Public Health as of Friday, though the tally includes some people from out of the jurisdiction who came to Peterborough to get vaccinated, Salvaterra said. Of those, 38,517 were first doses while 2,427 have had second doses (primarily long-term-care home residents who are at higher risk).
Nearly 100 per cent of the jurisdiction’s residents 80 and older have now been vaccinated, she said, along with about 75 per cent in the 70 to 79 age group. The health unit has the capacity to do 2,000 vaccinations a day in the jurisdiction, she said, but it depends on vaccine supply.
The vaccination clinic at Peterborough Regional Health Centre has had to halt daily service temporarily because of the vaccine supply shortage, she said, and is down to about one clinic a week.
For the week of April 26, the expected supply of Pfizer has been cut, she said, and word came out Friday that Moderna is slashing its vaccine shipments to Canada.
To help with distributing the vaccine that is available, the health unit expects to soon get a portable freezer to get vaccine out to clinics in a frozen state, Salvaterra also told reporters. The shortage means the health unit does not expect to reach its goal of vaccinating everyone 60 and older who want their first shot by the end of April, she said.
The health unit is continuing Phase 1 and Phase 2 of its vaccination plan. People 60 and older can book appointments at mass vaccination clinics online around the clock at covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine, or can book over the phone at 249494-5631 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.