Hastings Prince Edward Public Health has updated the local COVID-19 Dashboard to include the vaccination status of COVID-19 cases that have been reported in the region.

This data indicates that of the 1, 187 COVID-19 cases that have been reported in the region:

*Fully vaccinated is defined as having received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine with the second dose at least 14 days prior to COVID-19 onset (if symptomatic) or positive test result (if asymptomatic).

**For some cases of COVID-19 that have been reported in HPEPH, vaccination data is not available due to data limitations. When no data is available, it is assumed that the individual has not received even one dose of vaccine and the case is classified as unvaccinated on the dashboard.

“While evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines are up to 95 per cent effective, this local data makes it incredibly clear that COVID-19 cases are occurring very rarely in individuals who are fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Ethan Toumishey, Director of Clinical Programs at HPEPH. “Even if breakthrough infections occur in individuals who are immunized, they are significantly less likely to experience severe illness or other side effects related to the virus.”

Locally, a walk in vaccination clinic is taking place in Picton on Thursday, Aug. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Prince Edward Community Centre. Please bring your health card.

All current HPEPH COVID-19 vaccine clinics are accepting walk in appointments and pop-up clinics are being held throughout the region. Many pharmacies also continue to offer COVID-19 vaccines.For dates, locations, and vaccination options, visit hpePublicHealth.ca/vaccine-booking/. For more information about COVID-19 vaccine, visit hpePublicHealth.ca/covid-19-vaccines/. If you still have questions about the vaccine after reviewing this information, please talk to your health care provider.