Vaccine teams to visit those stranded at home

Home care patients, chronically infirm to get jab soon

People who suffer chronic health conditions, receive regular home care and can't get to a doctor's office or clinic will receive COVID -19 vaccinations starting Monday.

Two teams of nurse practitioners will go to people's homes to administer the shots, Windsor Essex County Health Unit CEO Theresa Marentette told the organization's board of directors Thursday.

The teams will vaccinate those who are registered for home care through the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network.

However, there is still no plan for reaching people who can't get to a doctor's office or clinic but aren't registered for home care.

“I don't think they are prioritized in any way,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed told the board. “We are hoping, with more of the primary care providers coming on board, they should be able to address all these individuals.”

The LHIN estimated there are about 100 people receiving home care who can't get to a doctor's office or clinic, but Marentette estimates the number is almost 300. More than 130 live in neighbourhoods with postal codes that have been identified as hot spots. They will be vaccinated first, Marentette said.

Everyone will be reached and offered vaccine, she said.

“We're trying to get this done in the next couple of weeks,” she said.

The health unit will continue vaccinating only people ages 50 and older in the hot spot postal codes, as directed by the province, Ahmed said. A pilot program in hot spot postal codes in Toronto is for everyone ages 18 and older.

“Our plan is to continue to vaccinate as much as we have the supply for and as long as there is demand to cover the 50-plus population as best as possible,” he said.

The region must use its limited vaccine supply judiciously, he said. We are now in phase two of Ontario's vaccine rollout, and there are other groups in the rest of the region that have also been identified as priorities, including essential front line workers who can't work from home.

If the health unit reduces the eligible age here, he also warned, “we again open ourselves for people who may come to our region just to get the vaccine because in their region they don't qualify.”

Board member Rino Bortolin asked if the health unit can “discourage” so-called vaccine tourists or “divert” them back to their own regions.

The answer is no. The provincial system for booking vaccinations allows people to book shots wherever they want, Ahmed said.

“The provincial direction is clear. They want us not to turn away anyone coming to our region.”

But, he said, “some of the health units that have their own booking systems, without coming out publicly, they are not booking anyone who is outside their region.”

More than 6,000 people who don't live in Windsor or Essex County have received vaccinations here.

The health unit has also begun working on a system to book second doses starting at the end of June for those who have already received their first dose.

More than 25 per cent of the region's population, more than 21 per cent in the hot spot postal codes, have received at least one dose of vaccine.

But Ahmed called the growing number of cases of more contagious and virulent virus variants here “a significant threat in our community.”

About 40 to 50 per cent of new cases are variant infections.

“It's something that could lead to an easy spread of disease in the community,” he said.