Northwestern Health Unit to finish first doses of long-term care COVID-19 vaccinations this week

The Northwestern Health Unit expects to complete the first dose of COVID-19 vaccinations for long-term care and elder care residents in the next couple of days.

Medical officer of health Dr. Kit Young Hoon said those doses will finish being administered by the end of Thursday, with most taking place Wednesday.

"The shipment we've received is enough to complete vaccinations of residents of long-term care homes and residents and staff of elder care homes in First Nations communities for the entire catchment area," Young Hoon said.

The province had earlier this month set a revised deadline of Wednesday for all first doses of long-term care residents in Ontario to be completed, which is five days later than their original target of Feb. 5, due to vaccine supply shortages.

Young Hoon said the health unit has yet to receive information from the province about supplies of second doses.

The health unit had 17 active cases in its catchment area as of Tuesday, with 13 of those in the Kenora area and four in the Sioux Lookout area.

The region, along with most of Ontario, will remain under a shutdown and stay-at-home order through Feb. 16. Young Hoon said the health unit's recent COVID-19 numbers would put the catchment area in the yellow level of the province's pandemic response framework that was in place before the Boxing Day shutdown.

"Really that household interaction between households when they interact, informal gatherings, that's what's leading to spread within our region," Young Hoon said.