" $ 5 6 " - * 5 4 r / & 8 4
WHAT TO EXPECT INSIDE A COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINIC
STEPHEN JEFFERY stephen.jeffery@eap.on.ca
after April 12 as vaccine supply, and those eligible to receive a dose, increases. 5IF&BTUFSO0OUBSJP)FBMUI6OJU &0)6 invited members of the media to a guided tour of the clinic at the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena in Rockland on Friday. The tour of the building, which was set up to vaccinate those aged 80 and over, was intended to provide a glimpse of the vaccination process and what the wider public can expect when the time comes for their dose. In and out Patients enter the arena through a single entrance, visiting a screening station before moving on to a registration desk, where their appointment and name are confirmed. The residents are then taken through to the main arena floor itself, which is divided into vaccination stations, as well as pre- and post-vaccination waiting areas.
In ordinary times, arenas around the region would be filled with community sports stars and eager fans watching from the stands. But this is no ordinary year. The stands are roped off, sporting equipment has been swapped with tables and chairs, and masked residents wait in line for a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at mass immunization clinics. Six arenas in the region – at Rockland, )BXLFTCVSZ $BTTFMNBO $PSOXBMM 8JO - chester and Alexandria – have been trans- formed into mass vaccination centres this month as the project to immunize the wider population ramps up. Thirty-seven such clin- ics have been planned across the region to the first week of April, with more expected
Le Dr Paul Roumeliotis, médecin hygiéniste du Bureau de santé de l’est de l’Ontario (BSEO), visite une clinique de vaccination vendredi. — photo Stephen Jeffery
Unlike in prior immunization campaigns, capacity is limited due to the ease with which the virus spreads. Both the vaccination sta- tions and the waiting areas are spaced out to limit contact between patients during the process. Once a person receives their vac- cine, they must wait in a designated area to ensure there are no immediate side-effects from the dose, before they are permitted to leave through a separate exit. Logistical challenge The Rockland arena will eventually be equipped to handle 20 vaccinators at once, but on Friday the capacity was limited to maximise accessibility for the seniors receiv- ing doses. Ten stations were set up during the tour, but the staffing requirements went beyond those administering the dose. &0)6.FEJDBM0GàDFSPG)FBMUI%S1BVM Roumeliotis, who led the tour, estimated an additional two staff members were required for every vaccinator. A special station was set up in the arena for “loaders”, specialists who QSFQBSFEBOEIBOEMFE UIF1à[FS#JP/5FDI vaccine doses. 5IF&0)6IBT MBVODIFEB SFDSVJUNFOU drive to help staff the sites across the re- HJPOi8FWFHPUQFPQMFXIPBSFWPMVOUFFST and people working for us, we have health promoters, people working in our IT depart- NFOU u%S3PVNFMJPUJTTBJEi8FWFBMTP had bylaw helping us as well.” Municipalities have helped improve acces- sibility to the arenas for seniors arriving for
their dose. In Rockland, Dr. Roumeliotis said the city broke down parts of the sidewalks near the entrance to create ramps into the building. The planning for these clinics started long before the vaccines arrived, but supply issues and information had prevented their JNQMFNFOUBUJPOVOUJMOPXi8FIBEUIJTQMBO POQBQFS UIFQSPCMFNXBTXFXFSFOUHFUUJOH enough vaccine,” Dr. Roumeliotis said. “On B5VFTEBZPS8FEOFTEBZXFàOEPVUXIBU XFSFHFUUJOHPOBGPMMPXJOH.POEBZ TPJUT very hard to plan. As of last Saturday, we were getting allocations for a month.” 5IF&0)6FYQFDUFEUPHFUEPTFT per week over the next four weeks. More than 18,500 vaccinations had been administered in the area so far at the end of last week, while 5000 people aged 80 and over had SFHJTUFSFEUPCFWBDDJOBUFEPOUIFQSPWJODFT online booking system. That number was expected to expand this week, with the province opening bookings to those aged 75 and over. Looking forward If the number of vaccine arrivals continued to increase, Dr. Roumeliotis was optimistic that a “significant” percentage of the adult population could receive at least their first dose by the start of May. However, he warned against complacency, as COVID cases and variants rose in the region. i*UTTUJMMOPUUJNFGPSVTUPMFUHPPGUIF masks, we still have a ways to go,” he said.
Publié le jeudi par • Published on Thursday by: La Compagnie d’édition André Paquette Inc. Imprimé par • Printed by: Imprimerie Prescott et Russell, Hawkesbury, ON # convention : 0040012398 1100, rue Aberdeen Street, C.P. / P.O. Box 1000, Hawkesbury, ON K6A 3H1 1-800-267-0850 Fax.: 613-632-6383
BERTRAND CASTONGUAY Président • President bertrand@eap.on.ca YVAN JOLY Directeur des ventes Sales director yvan@eap.on.ca MYLÈNE DESCHAMPS Rédactrice en chef francophone French Editor-in-Chief mylene.deschamps@eap.on.ca STEPHEN JEFFERY Rédacteur en chef anglophone English Editor-in-Chief stephen.jeffery@eap.on.ca GILLES NORMAND Dir. Production et Distribution Mgr. gilles.normand@eap.on.ca MARCO BLAIS, CARL LALONDE Infographie et prépresse / Layout & Prepress infographie@eap.on.ca Publicité • Advertising: yvan@eap.on.ca
Nous invitons les lecteurs à nous faire parvenir leurs lettres qui ne doivent pas dépasser 300 mots. Nous nous réservons le droit de les modifier ou de refuser de les publier. L’expéditeur doit inclure son nom, prénom, adresse et numéro de téléphone. Readers are invited to send us their letters that must not exceed 300 words. We reserve the right tomodify themor to refuse to publish them. The writer must include their names, address and telephone number.
Toute reproduction du contenu est interdite à moins d’autorisation écrite au préalable. No content may be reproduced without prior written permission. Avis : En cas d’erreur ou d’omission, la responsabilité du journal ne dépasse, en aucun temps, le montant de l’espace de l’erreur en cause. Attention: In case of error or omission, in no way will the publisher be liable for more than the amount charged for space concerned.
Nouvelles • News: nouvelles@eap.on.ca CLASSÉES • CLASSIFIED: nicole.pilon@eap.on.ca
www.editionap.ca
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs