CCH Frontline Staff Receive Second Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine
2021-05-18
Frontline
healthcare workers and physicians at the Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) have
started receiving their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of schedule.
Most
CCH staff and physicians working with patients in the highest risk settings who
received their first doses earlier this year will now be fully vaccinated, and
increasingly protected, against the life-threatening novel coronavirus by this
summer.
Timelines
for second doses were moved up following authorization from the Government of Ontario
that medical staff working in certain patient care settings were now eligible
for shorter interval periods between doses due to increasing supply.
“This
is an emotional moment for many of our frontline workers and physicians who
have selflessly dedicated themselves to caring for patients infected with
COVID-19, and serves as a sign of hope for the future,” said Jeanette Despatie,
President and CEO of CCH.
Dr.
Renee Givari, Chief of Medicine at CCH and an intensivist working on the
frontlines of the pandemic in the Hospital’s Critical Care Unit, was amongst
the first of CCH staff and physicians to receive her second dose on May 14th.
Dr. Givari received her first dose in February.
“Being
fully vaccinated not only provides the peace of mind of knowing I am best
protected against getting seriously ill or hospitalized from COVID-19, but
preliminary real world data also shows that in the event I do get infected with
COVID-19, I would have a significantly lower viral load and be less likely to
transmit the virus to others,” said Dr. Givari.
“Even
if you’re young and healthy, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 means you are
potentially much less likely to infect others in the community through
asymptomatic transmission,” she added.
For
now, CCH staff who work primarily in office settings or from home are not
eligible for a shortened interval period between doses.
For
more information on vaccine eligibility, or to book your vaccine, please visit
the Eastern Ontario Health Unit website at www.eohu.ca