Waterloo pharmacist Erin McClure says her phone has been ringing in recent years with other people hoping to book e-appointments to get a flu and COVID-19 shot.
Starting Monday, anyone six months and older is eligible to get their next COVID-19 and flu shot. Appointments can be scheduled at local pharmacies, public gyms, or family doctors.
McClure, who works at the Pharmasave Waterloo Wellness Pharmacy, said people are calling to make sure the pharmacy has the latest COVID-19 vaccine.
“Fortunately we did just get a lot of those. So that’s exciting to be able to say yes and get those into arms,” McClure said, adding people can get the flu shot at the same time as their latest COVID-19 shot.
“It’s very convenient that way. Most people do that. “
If you are seeking an appointment with the public health service, citizens of Waterloo Region will need to book an appointment electronically through the provincial e-booking system.
For citizens of Guelph and Wellington County, appointments can be booked on the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health website.
Public Health Ontario indicated in its Respiratory Virus Risk Indicators report from Oct. 22 to Nov. 4 that it expects increased influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) activity over the next two weeks.
As of October 21, Waterloo Region has reported 4 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza. The next update on the regional figures will be on Tuesday.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has reported one case of flu this season.
In an update sent to regional councillors last week, the region’s medical director of fitness, Dr Hsiu-Li Wang, said public fitness is seeing an “expected increase” in breathing in the community.
Wang said public health is running with long-term care, retreats and organizing houses to mitigate risks, as they have also noticed an increase in cases in those settings.
On Friday, the region’s COVID-19 dashboard was updated. It showed that the 3 hospitals in the domain (Cambridge Memorial, Grand River, and St. Peter’s). John’s. Mary’s) have had outbreaks of COVID-19 lately.
In addition, 12 long-term care and retirements are affected.
The dashboard also shows that the number of hospitalizations has increased over the past 90 days and stood at 61 on Friday.
McClure said he’s seeing “less reluctance” to get vaccinated against COVID-19 this year.
“We have a lot more evidence and data. We work from a position of experience and science to back up what all of our medical professionals preached from the beginning. So I think a lot of other people are much more comfortable with the vaccine,” McClure said.
“The questions have shifted from a position of concern to a position of ‘Why do I have to do this?’Now the most common thing is that I see other people who need it, don’t I?”
People here are asking, “Where can I get the gear I want to have less ill health and the one I enjoy the most?So they come to us to look for it now, instead of saying, ‘Why do I have to be here?'”
While her pharmacy offers walk-in flu shots, McClure recommends that other people book an electronic appointment to receive the newest COVID-19 vaccine because it takes a little longer for the pharmacist to prepare.
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Kate has been covering issues in Southern Ontario for over 15 years. Lately he has been working for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Email: kate. bueckert@cbc. ca
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