Northwestern Ontario health units widen free pneumococcal vaccine access as regional disease rates far exceed Ontario’s average
Thunder Bay district’s rate is more than five times the provincial average; the Northwestern Health Unit rate is four times higher
THUNDER BAY — Heath – Public health officials are urging eligible adults across Northwestern Ontario to get vaccinated against invasive pneumococcal disease after regional infection rates rose far above the provincial average.
The Northwestern Health Unit and Thunder Bay District Health Unit said the Northwestern unit’s rate is four times the Ontario average, while the Thunder Bay district rate is more than five times higher. The joint notice describes invasive pneumococcal disease as a serious infection that often leads to hospitalization.
Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can cause meningitis, bloodstream infections, pneumonia and joint infections when they enter parts of the body that are normally sterile. Public Health Ontario says the bacteria spread through close contact with people who carry them in the nose or mouth, including people without symptoms.
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health has introduced an interim northern immunization strategy in response to elevated disease activity.
The publicly funded vaccine remains available to people aged 65 and older and to adults aged 18 to 64 with specified medical risks, including weakened immune systems, chronic organ disease, diabetes, a missing or non-functioning spleen, or a cochlear implant.
In affected Northern and Indigenous communities, eligibility has also expanded to adults aged 18 to 64 who are homeless or unstably housed, and to people who regularly use substances including alcohol, cocaine or injection drugs.
The health units advise residents to discuss eligibility with a health-care provider. The vaccine is available year-round and can be given at the same visit as influenza or COVID-19 vaccines. It is available through health-unit clinics and participating health-care providers, but not at pharmacies, according to the joint release.
Thunder Bay District Health Unit has four appointment-only respiratory vaccine clinics scheduled in Thunder Bay between Nov. 6 and Dec. 2. Its Nov. 6 clinic is at the Da Vinci Centre. District clinic details vary by community and should be confirmed directly with the health unit.
People with symptoms of serious illness should seek medical care rather than wait for a vaccine appointment. The health units did not publish regional case counts in the Oct. 30 notice, so the rate comparison should not be read as a count of current patients.
