STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC Feb. 24, 2021
Residents in the Pontiac aged 85 and up will be able to begin receiving their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 11 provided they schedule an appointment, according to CISSSO medical officer Dr. Carol McConnery.
With the appointment scheduling window beginning on Feb. 25, the shipment of vaccines for general public vaccination are set to arrive on the week of . . .
March 8 and should be available by March 10, when vaccinating will begin in urban areas, McConnery explained during a Feb. 24 press briefing.
For Pontiac residents, this means that those born in the year 1936 and prior who want the vaccine will soon be able to make their way to the Campbell’s Bay RA Centre for vaccination, which is the designated site in the Pontiac service area (RLS). Appointments can be booked online at quebec.ca/vaccincovid or by calling the CISSSO at 1-877-644-4545. Upon receiving their first dose of the vaccine, residents should expect to be told when their second dose appointment is scheduled for.
On March 1, the CISSSO released a press release informing residents that those born in the year 1941 and before — aged 80 and above — are able to begin signing up for vaccine appointments on March 2.
McConnery also said that there is an option for family caregivers who live with those aged 85 and older to receive the vaccine at the same time, if they are aged 70 and older. She said this could include a parent or spouse who cares for their loved one more than three days a week.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin told The Equity that it’s a relief for the general public’s vaccination process to be underway.
“To know that our most vulnerable people will be able to have access to vaccines quickly, is great news,” he said.
He added that it is his hope that everyone who is now eligible to register will get the vaccine.
“I’ve got one very simple message for people, and that is go get vaccinated.
It’s proven to be safe, there have been very few reactions across the province to the vaccine and the way they set up the vaccination clinics, they monitor you for 15 minutes before you leave in case of loss of blood pressure or an allergic reaction, so it is absolutely safe to get the vaccine.”
Fortin said that the Outaouais would be receiving 7,000 vaccines within two weeks of the week of March 8, and he added that this was in line with there being roughly 6,000 people in the age 85 and up category in the region.
“Hopefully after those two weeks, we can move on to the next age group, which would be 80 and above,” he added.
He said that he encouraged people in the community to assist people who need help getting to the vaccination site.
He added that the provincial authorities should work to find a solution that would allow vaccines to be transported to individuals who might be unable to get to the vaccination site. He acknowledged the explanation from officials that explained that it was difficult with the vaccines at the province’s disposal currently.
“There are people who do have serious mobility issues, people who can hardly leave the house and so I do urge the province to find some solution to get those people vaccinated as quickly as possible and to make that available in their homes.”
During a Feb. 23 press conference, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said that the province hopes to have administered vaccines to everyone who wants one by the end of September. As of March. 1, the province had administered 438,815 first doses of the vaccine since December when vaccinating began, and there had been 13,292 vaccinations in the Outaouais. The province will be receiving 100,620 total doses during the week of March 1-7.
A Feb. 24 press release from the CISSSO stated that the health authority completed the vaccination of private seniors’ residences on Feb. 22.
