The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is putting a call out for second dose COVID-19 vaccinations.
Anyone who received their first shot at one of the health unit’s community clinics before Monday(of this week), can now book their second dose appointment on the health unit’s website.
Only those who got their first jab prior to March 17 and did not have a second dose appointment can use this system.
Those who received their first dose after March 17th and don’t have a second dose appointment need to wait until the provincial system allows second dose booking.
If the system has not been updated, SMDHU will email those eligible with instructions.
BARRIE, ONT. Simcoe Muskoka parents will soon be able to book the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine for their children ages 12 to 17 starting the week of May 31, public health says. The health unit is following the province s plan to open vaccine bookings to all youth aged 12 and older by the end of the month. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says it is working with local school boards to plan for COVID-19 immunization clinics for youth 12 to 17 for the weeks of June 13 and June 20. The health unit notes that more details on this plan will be provided in the coming weeks.
BARRIE, ONT. Simcoe County residents whose surgeries were postponed by the third wave of the pandemic may soon get a call to re-book. Ontario s top doctor has given some areas of the province the green light to restart non-emergency surgeries. Staff at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), Soldier s Memorial Hospital, Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare are discussing their next steps. Local hospitals started dialling back non-emergency surgeries in early April as COVID-19 cases spiked and intensive care units were stretched to their limits. In a letter addressed to healthcare providers Wednesday, Dr. David Williams says the time is right for a change, with cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions trending downward.
BARRIE, ONT. Public health logged 62 new COVID-19 infections and one death in Simcoe Muskoka on Thursday. According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, a Muskoka man between the ages of 45 and 64 lost his life after contracting the virus. He is the region s 242nd resident to die with COVID-19. The health unit reports the region appears to be maintaining a downward trend in daily cases. The daily moving average of infections has declined from above 100 cases in early April to below 50 cases, excluding the most recent days because of reporting delays. COVID-19 testing centres have reported a drop in patients in recent weeks. The percent positivity rate in Simcoe County is 5.2 per cent and 2.7 per cent in Muskoka, compared to the provincial rate of 6.6. per cent. A low percent positivity rate indicates the outbreak is under control, given more testing is finding a smaller and smaller proportion of positives, the health unit states.
BARRIE, ONT. While COVID-19 infections continue to climb down from a pandemic high, Simcoe-Muskoka s top doctor warns letting loose over the long weekend could have disastrous consequences. We will end up with a fourth wave extending through the summer if we re not cautious, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Charles Gardner said Tuesday. Despite the fact that this is the long weekend and traditionally people have gone elsewhere, they need to stay close to home. The warning comes as local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are the lowest they ve been in five weeks. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reported 42 new infections and three new hospitalizations on Tuesday.