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With the possibility of COVID-19 cases increasing in the fall, the Gray Bruce Health Unit organizes vaccine clinics during the summer to help residents stay up to date with their vaccinations.
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Thousands of Gray-Bruce residents aged 60 and over will be eligible in July and August to receive a second booster, according to the recommended dose intervals, the Gray Bruce Health Unit said in a press release on Wednesday. The recommended interval for those over 60 to receive a second booster (fourth dose) is five months (140 days) after the first booster. The minimum time to receive a second reinforcement is three months (84 days) after a first reinforcement. Full information on vaccine recommendations is available at covid-19.ontario.ca/getting-covid-19-vaccine.
Local clinics are held in various communities in the area during the summer months, with clinics scheduled so far for the coming weeks in Thornbury on July 12, Lucknow on July 13, Walkerton on July 19 and Owen Sound on July 21st. Details of the clinics can be viewed on the health unit website at publichealthgreybruce.on.ca, with updates as more clinics are added.
“Public health strongly recommends that all eligible residents be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines to ensure they have the best protection available against serious illness and death and to help maintain the progress that has been made. in the fight against COVID-19, ”health reported. the unit’s medical consultant, Dr. Rim Zayed, said in the press release. “Summer is the perfect time to stay up to date, as early indications and data suggest another wave of cases is possible in the fall.”
The health unit has partnered with GO-VAXX to offer some clinics during the summer and fall months in the Gray-Bruce areas with lower vaccine absorption. Vaccines, including booster shots, are also available at many local pharmacies and through primary care providers, according to the statement.
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For 12- to 59-year-olds, staying up to date means receiving a series of primary vaccines and a booster dose. A second reinforcement is recommended for those over 60, indigenous adults, and non-indigenous adult household members and residents of long-term care homes and congregated care settings.
In Gray-Bruce, just under 75 per cent of the region’s population is vaccinated with two doses, while more than 50 per cent of the population has received a third dose, which is close to half the pack in Ontario. .
Getting and keeping up with vaccines is the best defense against infection and the serious results of the virus, according to the statement. Data from the Ontario Scientific Table’s control panel show that it is estimated that those who are not vaccinated are nearly twice as likely to test positive for the virus, five times more likely to be in the hospital with COVID- 19 and four times more likely to be admitted. at the ICU.
Booster injections can help increase antibody levels that decrease over time after the second dose, the health unit said in a statement.
While a primary series of an mRNA vaccine generally maintains good efficacy against severe outcomes, reinforcement further increases the efficacy of the vaccine by more than 90% against severe outcomes, the statement added.