News

Norfolk General Hospital and the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit have completed the first round of vaccinations for area long-term care residents and staff.

Health Unit nurses, members of the Delhi and Haldimand Family Health Teams, and paramedics from both Haldimand and Norfolk delivered the vaccinations as part of the first phase of the region’s vaccination roll-out.

Vaccinations have now begun at area retirement homes, and are expected to be complete on Wednesday.

Second doses of the vaccine are required, and will be given approximately three weeks after the first dose.

“We have waited for this day for a long time,” says Norfolk General Hospital President and CEO Lucy Bonanno. “It truly marks the turning point in our battle against COVID-19. We are starting to get needles into the arms of our most vulnerable members to ensure they are protected.”

According to the prioritization framework determined by the Province, vaccinations will first be provided to those most at risk.

While Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination roll-out is being organized by the province, hospital and health unit staff are working closely with long-term care and retirement home providers to ensure vaccinations are successfully administered at facilities in both Haldimand and Norfolk in the coming days.

“Vaccinating our community’s most vulnerable members is a good first step, but until mass vaccination takes place, we must remain vigilant against the virus,” says Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Haldimand-Norfolk’s Medical Officer of Health. “The most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of the virus is to limit non-essential travel outside the home as much as possible.”

Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect against serious illnesses like COVID-19.

Learn more about Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination plan here.