NIPISSING & PARRY SOUND, ON – As Ontario acts quickly to open COVID-19 vaccine appointments to new age bands and priority groups, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) wishes to remind the public that a limited supply of vaccine has been allocated to the Health Unit, which may not align with the increase in local demand that is expected over the coming weeks with the new eligibility groups. The Health Unit is assuring the public that everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will get one, but asks for patience as the province continues to prioritize hotspot locations.

“We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to open up appointments to more individuals recently, and we’re excited that our Health Unit met the provincial target of having 40% of our adult population vaccinated with at least one dose by the end of April,” says Andrea McLellan, Director of COVID-19 Immunization Strategy at the Health Unit. “However, vaccine supply is still a critical factor for us in making sure we are able to continue to meet our targets and continue offering appointments to everyone who becomes eligible.”

The Health Unit is already seeing higher demand after eligibility was announced yesterday for individuals born in 1966 or before. Online booking is strongly encouraged and is now available for this group at Ontario.ca/BookVaccine. The Health Unit Call Centre is available for eligible individuals who are unable to book online, and continues to receive a high number of calls. As a result, the Call Centre will be extending its hours to be available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, and the Health Unit is reminding the public to please be patient when calling to book an appointment.

More information on the local vaccine rollout and booking appointments can be found at myhealthunit.ca.

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Media Inquiries:

Catherine Levac-Lafond, Bilingual Media Relations Coordinator
P: 705-474-1400, ext. 5221 or 1-800-563-2808
E: communications@healthunit.ca