Dr. Paula Stewart has been training new staff for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. “I was just down the hall, and we were just onboarding three new nurses,” the Medical Officer of Health said in an interview earlier this week, laughing.
Dr. Stewart says the new hires are coming in as part of the health unit’s plans to open new COVID-19 vaccine clinics. “We’re hoping that, come January,” she says, “we’ll be able to add more clinics in both January and February.” The eventual goal is to have vaccines available to absolutely everyone in the community by March.
The plans for expansion come as existing local clinics are fully booked, between children ages 5 to 11 getting their first doses and other people looking for booster doses. In the meantime, Dr. Stewart is suggesting looking elsewhere to get vaccinated. “There’s still some at pharmacies, so it’s worthwhile trying there,” Stewart says.
“Just be patient. We’re adding more people, and as we get more staff, we’ll add more appointments,” she concludes.
If you want to try and book a vaccination appointment, visit the health unit website to access the booking portal.