Vaccines are 'safe to mix:' SMDHU encourages booking any second dose available
Simcoe Muskoka residents hoping to get their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine can book an appointment ahead of schedule after Ontario accelerated the program for the newly listed hot spot.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) encourages residents to consider the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots "interchangeable" instead of waiting for a preferred vaccine.
On its Facebook page Monday, the SMDHU states, "Both Moderna and Pfizer use a similar mRNA technology, so the vaccines are interchangeable and safe to mix."
Ontario Medical Association's past president, Dr. Sohail Gandhi, said health authorities should have been upfront at the start of the vaccination process about not being able to approve mixing at that time because studies on it hadn't been completed.
"If that had been said right at the beginning, there wouldn't be some of the misinformation that's out there right now," Gandhi said. "You couldn't say that because it hadn't been studied."
The health unit notes that anyone who received AstraZeneca for their first dose can "safely get the AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer for your second dose for strong protection."
Late last week, the province added Simcoe Muskoka to its list of Delta variant hot spots.
The region's associate medical officer of health, Dr. Colin Lee, explained the region falls into the top 10 of 34 health units across the province to have data showing 15 to 20 per cent of COVID-19 cases classify as the Delta variant making it a hot spot.
As of Friday, 18 cases had identified as the Delta B.1.617.2 variant across the region. Nearly 670 more screened positive for a variant of concern, requiring further testing to determine the strain.
Starting Monday, residents who had their first mRNA shot on or before May 9 can book or reschedule their second appointment through the provincial booking site.
Residents who received their first vaccine on or before May 30 can book their second shot starting Wednesday.
Complete information on Simcoe Muskoka's COVID-19 vaccination program, including how to book an appointment, is available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.