Over 10,000 in Chatham-Kent have received first dose of vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccination effort in Chatham-Kent recently hit a milestonewith more than 10,000 residents having received their first dose, a rate far ahead of the national and provincial averages.

Carina Caryn of Chatham-Kent Public Health, the site manager of the vaccine centre set up at the JohnD. Bradley Convention Centre in Chatham, said they've been working toget as many people through the door every day as possible.

"We did our 10,000th first dose earlier this week I believe, and then we've also been able to complete second doses for our residents in long-term care as well," she said in an interview on Friday.

As of Thursday, more than 12,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the convention centre clinic and through mobile sites, according to public health officials.

Chatham-Kent has a population of about 102,000 as of the2016 census, meaning that roughly 10 per cent of residents have now received a first dose.

Chatham-Kent's vaccine rolloutrateis about double the national and provincial averages.

5 per cent of Canadians vaccinated

Across the country5.11 per cent of Canadians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of last week,and the number is slightly lower for Ontario, at 4.2 per cent, according to federal data.

In Chatham-Kent,those who are 75 and older, Indigenous adults, those receiving chronic home-care and and health-care workers are eligible to receive their shots.

Vaccinations have already rolled out for those living in long-term care and retirement homes as well.

Chatham-Kent has 61 active COVID-19 cases as of Friday and two people are in hospital.Nineteennew cases were announced on Friday.

Three outbreaks are active; twoat Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and another at the Cooper Terrace long-term care home.

As the vaccine rollout continues, Caryn said the work that has been done to keep COVID-19 at a manageable level throughout the municipality, such ascontact tracing, has been important.

"Both of those things working in tandem have contributed to the success in our community for sure," she said.