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Quinte Health Care hospitals’ capacity problems have decreased, but that may only be temporary, a vice-president says.
“Things look much different this week than they looked even 10 days ago,” vice-president and chief nursing officer Carol Smith Romeril during Tuesday’s board meeting.
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She said there was space in the intensive care unit and in general medicine units.
“That’s a very different picture than even 10 days ago,” she said.
There was also less traffic in emergency units, but that is “not necessarily a good thing,” Smith Romeril added.
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The local health unit has started administering a new vaccine to residents in long-term care and high-risk homes to make up for the shortage of the Pfizer vaccine.
Dr. Paula Stewart, medical officer of health for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, said the agency received the Moderna vaccine this week and is now using it in the homes.
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After Pfizer announced a one-week suspension of vaccine shipments to Canada, Ontario Health officials scrambled to redistribute its vaccine supplies to ensure that the most vulnerable home residents continue to get their vaccinations, Stewart said.
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The effort to vaccinate long-term care residents is now underway officially in the Hasting-Prince Edward region.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health announced Thursday evening the immunization of 230 residents at Hastings Manor, the region’s largest long-term care facility and one of two operated by Hastings County. Vaccinations were performed by public health staff and Hastings-Quinte paramedics.
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It followed the vaccination Sunday of 66 residents and 13 staff at Belleville’s Westgate Lodge.
People at both sites received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the health unit added in a news release.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health will submit his recommendations on which regions should be allowed to resume in-class learning as of Jan. 25.