More people are eligible for upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the Porcupine Health Unit region.
The health unit has expanded its eligibility to adults 18 years of age and up with the highest and high-risk medical conditions and up to one primary caregiver for these individuals.
The local clinics have been using the Moderna vaccine. The clinic in Timmins on April 21 may use the Pfizer vaccine, according to the health unit.
The highest and high-risk medical conditions are:
- Organ transplant recipients
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient
- Neurological diseases that may compromise respiratory function, such as MS
- Haematological malignancy diagnosed less than a year ago
- Kidney disease eGFR less than 30
- Obesity (BMI over 40)
- Treatments causing immunosuppression like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or active chemotherapy. The health unit notes that people in active treatment such as chemotherapy should make sure that their treating health care provider aggress with the vaccination timing.
- Intellectual or developmental disabilities like Down syndrome
The upcoming clinics are:
Saturday, April 17
- Timmins Mountjoy Arena
Sunday, April 18
- Smooth Rock Falls arena
- Hornepayne arena
- Matheson community arena
Monday, April 19
- Cochrane Tim Hortons Event Centre
- Hearst Claude Larose Arena
Tuesday, April 20
- Iroquois Falls Jus Jorden Arena
- Kapuskasing Sports Palace
Wednesday, April 21
- Timmins Mountjoy Arena
Friday, April 23
- Kapuskasing Sports Palace
Appointments are required for all clinics and walk-ins will not be accepted.
People who qualify for one of the clinics can book an appointment online here or call 1-800-461-1818.
For people who do get an appointment for the vaccination, the health unit has a few tips. They are:
- Do not arrive early. People will not be allowed into the clinic before their appointment time.
- Do not gather outside.
- Bring a mask and your health card.
To date, there have been 448 confirmed cases of the virus in the region. Of those, 359 are recovered and 25 people have died. There are 64 known active cases — 39 in Timmins, 23 in the area of Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Smooth Rock Falls, and two in the Hearst, Hornepayne area.
There are COVID-19 assessment centres in Timmins, Cochrane, Iroquois Falls, Matheson, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls, Hearst, and Hornepayne, as well as communities on the James Bay coast.
The Porcupine Health Unit COVID-19 information line can be reached at 705-360-4819 or 1-800-461-1818.
People eligible for a vaccine can register for upcoming clinics in the region here. Select pharmacies are also delivering the vaccine. Find a list of those and book an appointment here.
