Photo by CDC on Unsplash

In response to declaring a critical threshold of COVID-19 cases in Grey Bruce, the Grey Bruce Health Unit (GBHU) has redeployed staff and resources to address this critical juncture.

In an April 17 media release from GBHU, all currently scheduled vaccine clinics are still proceeding. A contingency plan was designed to reallocate more vaccines to high-risk congregate settings such as shelters to protect these vulnerable groups.

One large-scale vaccine clinic (planned but not booked by clients) was deferred to next week. Those vaccines have been redirected to residents in shelters and congregate settings where the risk of transmission is higher during the current local surge of COVID-19 cases. Dedicated mobile teams are providing the vaccine to 42 of these settings by April 20.

All of the vaccines delivered to the Grey Bruce Health Unit are administered in the same week that they are received, with the exception of a small carry over quantity used for any clinics scheduled early in the following week.

To date, 46285 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 8051 doses administered in the past seven days. That is, 69 percent of people over the age of 70 and 30 percent of the eligible population have received their first dose of the vaccine. For details on vaccine progress or to book your vaccine appointment, visit publichealthgreybruce.on.ca.

All available staff with appropriate training are working on contact tracing and case management. "Ensuring case management is the lynchpin to limit any further spread associated with current cases," read the release, adding that an updated case management process has been introduced based on the experience of jurisdictions that have seen large-scale contact tracing numbers.

Case and contact management is progressing as planned, the release said. "With the current trajectory, we should be able to regain full control over case and contact management by the end of today, April 17."