WELLINGTON COUNTY – With the opening of the region’s first mass vaccination site at the Fergus sportsplex, the question of the day is “who can get the vaccine?” or “when will it be my turn?”
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) has the answers on its website, as well as instructions on how to pre-register.
Vaccinations are given by appointment only and are not yet available for the general public, so there’s no point in heading out and hoping they’ll let you in.
They won’t. But here’s what you can do.
First, visit https://register.wdgpublichealth.ca.
Public health is asking people to register for an appointment online if they can, as it’s quicker and easier.
But if you must phone for an appointment, the number is 519-822-2715 ext. 4506. It can take a while to get through and due to call volumes, it may take up to three days for a response.
According to the WDGPH website, the following priority groups can now pre-register for an appointment:
- adults 80 years of age and older;
- Indigenous adults aged 55 and older;
- long-term care and/or retirement home staff;
- essential support staff in long-term care and retirement homes;
- essential caregivers in long-term care and high-risk retirement homes;
- adult recipients of chronic home care; and
- healthcare workers.
Officials are defining “healthcare workers” as “Anyone working or volunteering in a health care organization … and “Any worker providing healthcare services or direct patient service in a setting outside of a health care organization.”
Eligible healthcare workers are those working in the following settings:
- hospitals;
- COVID-19 response roles (e.g., assessment centres, outbreak response, COVID-19 immunization clinics) ;
- paramedics;
- community healthcare workers serving specialized populations;
- community healthcare workers serving the general population ;
- healthcare workers in congregate settings;
- healthcare services for Indigenous populations;
- laboratory services;
- non-acute and rehabilitation and therapy; and
- public health.
More information on the priority list can be found on the provincial government’s website.
Once you have determined you qualify, fill out the online registration.
WDGPH will use contact information provided to send an email or text message with a link to a unique code. With that, you can schedule the date, time and location for your vaccination.
When you arrive for your appointment, bring identification (e.g., workplace ID badge, letter from your employer) because public health will use it to confirm who you are and that you are part of a priority group.
“Public Health takes vaccine prioritization seriously. Providing false information may result in cancellation of your appointment and notification to the appropriate regulatory college,” the website states.
Information about the next age and occupational groups to receive the vaccine will be released once vaccination of the first group is well underway and distribution of the vaccine is flowing again.
