---- COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Outaouais well underway

With the region’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout well in effect, the Centre intégré de la santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) ensures that everything is going positively so far. Now inviting people aged 70 and up to get vaccinated, CISSSO’s President and Director General Josée Filion said around 20,000 people have been vaccinated in the region so far.

Administered gradually, the vaccine rollout prioritizes vulnerable people and age groups in descending order, according to CISSSO. It adds that vulnerable people, residents living in long-term care facilities (CHSLD) and people in intermediate family type resources (RI-RFTs), have all been vaccinated. People residing in private seniors’ homes (RPA) and other closed residential facilities for adults have also been completely vaccinated.

Along with people aged 70 and up, CISSS says that vaccine is also available for health care workers and social service employees, as well as for people in remote or isolated communities is underway.  Younger age groups continuing with people aged between 60 and 69, will be vaccinated next, until the rest of the population is eventually immunized.

In a virtual press conference on March 15, Quebec minister of Family and Minister responsible for the Outaouais region Minister Mathieu Lacombe said the quality rollout of the vaccine is certainly cause reason to be optimistic for what’s to come. According to CISSSO’s medical consultant in infection diseases Dr. Carol McConnery, the region recently received a new brand of the COVID-19 vaccine called AstraZeneca.

The Outaouais now has vaccines from three producers, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna. Responding to recent reports that certain jurisdictions around the world denied the Astrazeneca vaccine as precaution due to concerns that it may cause negative side effects, such as blot clots and Thrombosis, Dr. McConnery said around 30 cases of blot clots or Thrombosis were indicated out of more than 3,000,000 vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot.

Emphasizing that the vaccine rollout’s top priority is public safety, Dr. McConnery said the goal is to give the entire population its first dose as quickly as possible so the population can go back to normalcy. The rollout was slightly delayed, McConnery said the Outaouais didn’t receive vaccines for two weeks during the winter – with doses directed towards regions in the red zone.

Having recently received his first dose of the vaccine, Aylmer resident and President of the Deschênes Residents’ Association, Howard Powles told the Bulletin he’s happy to have gotten a step closer to normalcy. Sensing no negative side effects at press time, some 30 hours after the inoculation, Powles said his appointment for a second dose is scheduled in July.

Noting that getting vaccinated is free and highly encouraged for people who are eligible, CISSSO says that setting up an appointment is needed.

People whose age group isn’t yet eligible are urged not to call or show up to a clinic to get vaccinated, and to wait until they’re eligible to set up an appointment. Stating that immunizing the entire population will take numerous months, CISSSO urges people to respect the provincial government’s recommended COVID-19 health and safety measures.

Those wanting to get vaccinated are invited to set up an appointment via the following link - https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/progress-of-the-covid-19-vaccination/. 

CISSSO asks those who are unable to set up an appointment online to ask a family member or a friend to call 1-877-644-4545.