The Independent published April 29, 2021
By Healther Wright, The Independent
It was all hands on deck as the Central Lambton Family Health Team (CLFHT) hosted a large vaccination clinic at the Greenwood Recreation Centre in Petrolia.
The town suggested the doctors use the vacant arena to hold a clinic which was first expected to give about 200 people their vaccine against COVID-19. The first batch of doses was spoken for quickly. Lambton Public Health offered another 100 doses and they too, were claimed early.
By the time the clinic opened Friday, there were 400 doses available. Around 5:30 pm, the health team put out the word there were 40 additional doses available as health team staff were able to get 11 doses out of each vial instead of 10.
In all, 440 people were given their first dose of the vaccine.
Executive Director, Sarah Milner, was thrilled with the turnout and the town’s help getting the clinic set up. She said the infrastructure will remain in the hopes more clinics will be possible in the future.
About 34 per cent of eligible Lambton residents have now had their first vaccine.
Lambton Public Health said April 22 that 40,103 people have been vaccinated including 2,340 who have had both doses.
Dr. Sudit Ranade told Lambton County councillors public health is getting a steady supply of about 5,000 doses per week, however the mass vaccination clinic has been scaled back to three days a week. He says it is more efficient to deliver the available doses in three days.
The clinic has the capacity to deliver 2,500 per day.
A number of weekly data points from public health show a downward trend in the pandemic in Lambton. The region now has 59 cases of COVID-19 for every 100,000 people – that’s down from 68 last week. However it is still in the red or grey lockdown region of the provincial reopening framework.
Officials say 1.9 per cent of the tests being done are now positive; that’s down from 2.8 per cent last week.
Dr. David Williams told reporters Thursday, after the number of new cases dipped below 3,700, that while Ontario is in a “precarious position.
“All indications show we might be starting to bend the curve a bit, there has not been enough time yet, but we’re just starting to see the effect of the stay-at-home order, but we’re not there yet.”