KAWARTHA LAKES-City of Kawartha Lakes residents who were born in 1941 or earlier will be able to start booking appointments for their COVID- 19 vaccinations on Monday.
Residents must book their vaccination appointment through the provincial booking system. The system will go live on Monday, March 15 and people will be able to book online or through the phone. Clinic dates vary, and appointments will be booked on dates with available clinic space.
Appointments are not available through health care providers or by calling the local public health agency.
Only those eligible (born in 1941 or earlier) will be able to book their appointments at this time. Details on the website location and phone number to book appointments will be shared by the province this weekend.
Vaccinations will be given at mass immunization clinics being held in two locations in Kawartha Lakes – the Lindsay Exhibition (LEX) and the Fenelon Falls Community Centre. The LEX site is being organized and staffed initially by the Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) with the support of the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU). HKPRDHU will be staffing the Fenelon Falls Community Centre mass immunization clinic.
“We know our residents have been patiently waiting for their chance to be vaccinated and we are pleased to work with anumber of different health care providers, the municipality and community agencies to make that happen,” said Dr. Ian Gemmill, Acting Medical Officer of Health for the HKPRDHU. “All of our local health care providers and community partnerswant to get the vaccine into as many arms as possible right away, and we are pleased to see these clinics get underway.”
RMH has been an active partner throughout the pandemic response. The hospital has organized and staffed the local assessment centre to administer COVID-19 tests, assisted long-term care homes while in outbreak, and have most recently received and administered COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk and priority health care workers and first responders identified under phase one of the province’s vaccine distribution plan.
“Our staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and we are pleased to be able to provide a clinic to vaccinate our most senior residents,” says Kelly Isfan, CEO of RMH.
The mass immunization clinic at the LEX will operate as a drive-through clinic to help to ensure that as many residents as possible can be vaccinated. The clinic at the Fenelon Falls Community Centre will operate as a fixed site. Details for both clinics and the provincial booking system can be found on the Health Unit’s website: www.hkpr.on.ca.
“This past year has been extremely challenging for our residents,” said Andy Letham, Mayor of Kawartha Lakes. “We have lostloved ones during devastating outbreaks, experienced financial challenges as our work and businesses have been closed and missed loved ones and friends as we abide by stay-at-home orders and practise physical distancing. This vaccine doesn’t mean things will go back to normal right away, but it is step in the right direction to get us back to the way things used to be.”
Residents of retirement homes and congregate care setting for seniors (eg. assisted living) do not need to call to book an appointment. These individuals will receive their vaccinations from the HKPRDHU, and those clinics will take place in those retirement homes.
Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes will provide accessible transportation to the clinics for eligible seniors and adults with special needs who require it. Community Care wants to make sure that transportation is not a barrier for those wanting to get vaccinated. More details on how to schedule a ride will be announced in the coming days.
Once vaccinations of residents born in 1941 or earlier is complete, HKPRDHU will begin accepting appointments from those highlighted in the province’s priority groups – those unable to work from home, and older adults between the ages of 60 to 79 in five-year increments. HKPRDHU may also implement additional vaccination clinic models including mobile clinics and pop-up clinics to help reach more residents as the list of people eligible for vaccinations continues to expand.
Until everyone is fully vaccinated, Dr. Gemmill urges people to continue to follow the public health recommendations: stay home if ill, only go out for essential reasons, wear a mask when in public, practise physical distancing, and wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
How do I get an appointment?
Frequently Asked Questions
CKL residents who were born in 1941 or earlier can book a vaccination appointment through the provincial booking system. Appointments can be booked online or by phone. The provincial system goes live Monday, March 15.
Appointments will be booked for available clinic dates and times and appointment availability may vary between sites.
Can I call my doctor to book an appointment?
Local doctors and nurse practitioners are not booking appointments. Please use the provincial booking system to book a vaccination appointment.
I don’t have a family doctor but was born in 1941 or earlier. Can I book an appointment?
Everyone who was born in 1941 or earlier is able to get the vaccine. You do not need to have a health care provider or a local health care provider to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
You will need to use the provincial booking system to book an appointment. Appointments can be booked online, but if you do not have a computer, you can call and book an appointment by phone. This booking system will go live on March 15.
What information do I need when I get called?
You should have your health card ready to book.
My spouse/caregiver will be coming with me, but they are not 80 years of age or older. Can they be vaccinated as well?
At this time, only residents who were born in 1941 or earlier are eligible to be vaccinated. As more vaccine arrives locally, more residents will be vaccinated in order of the provincial priority list.
What vaccine will I receive?
The province has been delivering the Pfizer vaccine for use locally.
My parent lives in a retirement home. Can they get vaccinated?
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit will be vaccinating residents of local retirement homes and congregate care settings for seniors (eg. assisted living) in those homes. They do not need to call to book an appointment.
I was born later than 1941 but I have a number of health issues. Am I able to get vaccinated right now?
At this time, vaccination clinics are being booked only for those City of Kawartha Lakes residents who were born in 1941 or earlier. Once residents over the age of 80 years are vaccinated, and additional vaccine arrives locally, adults with chronic health care issues will be invited to book a vaccination appointment.
