Published On: May 31, 2021
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) has partnered with Southwestern Public Health to offer second dose vaccinations on-site to high-risk health care workers at STEGH.
A first-of-its-kind in the region, the onsite COVID-19 “VAXX Clinic” at STEGH was developed in response to the Ontario government announcement on May 10 which added high-risk health care workers to the list of those eligible to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier than the extended four-month interval.
High-risk health care workers at STEGH include staff in frontline roles with COVID-19 patients and/or with a high-risk of exposure to COVID-19, including nurses and personal support workers and those performing aerosol-generating procedures. It also includes patient-facing health care workers involved in the COVID-19 response.
“We are fortunate to be able to deliver on-site second dose vaccinations to our high-risk staff,” says Karen Riddell, Vice President, People and Safety. “This model has worked well in long-term care and will help to free up appointments in community vaccination clinics, allowing more people to be vaccinated faster and increases accessibility and ease of vaccination for our staff.”
There has been an overwhelming response to the VAXX Clinic at STEGH. Close to 300 high-risk staff will receive their second dose vaccination over a total of four days.
“I’m not surprised at the response we’ve received from our front-line teams,” says Riddell. “Staff are committed to getting fully vaccinated as soon as possible to protect the health and safety of themselves, their patients, and residents of Elgin County and beyond.”