MANITOULIN – As of Monday morning, April 12, clinics in the District of Manitoulin have distributed a total of 7,210 COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 4,993 residents (that’s about 40 percent of the Island’s 2016 population) having received at least a first dose and 2,217 of those people at fully vaccinated (two-dose) status, according to figures from Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD).
Vaccinations are reaching Manitoulin arms through the efforts of a variety of Island health providers, with Naandwechige-Gamig Wikwemikong Health Centre offering doses to that community, M’Chigeeng Health Services supplying shots to its people, a partnership between Noojmowin Teg and Mnaamodzawin vaccinating their five member First Nations and off-reserve urban Anishinabek, and the Island’s family health teams running clinics for eligible members of the general population in collaboration with Manitoulin Health Centre.
As in the March 24 vaccination update in this newspaper, The Expositor contacted Island health providers to see how many doses they had distributed as part of the campaign. This is in an effort to showcase the efforts underway on the Island and offer context to those awaiting their turn to get vaccinated.
While most providers shared their statistics, some elected not to share and others did not respond to requests for figures by press time Monday.
In Wiikwemkoong, roughly 800 people have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 254 people have received a first dose through Naandwechige Gamig. Wikwemikong Nursing Home has distributed 132 doses.
The Island’s three family health teams have worked in partnership to provide more than 1,650 doses since the start of the vaccination campaign, but The Expositor did not hear back from all members and the total figure is expected to be higher.
The Mnaamodzawin/Noojmowin Teg collaboration for off-reserve band members has delivered 1,144 doses as of Monday, with more than 100 doses slated for two clinics this week.
A Manitoulin Lodge spokesperson declined to publicly share its total vaccination dose count from its campaign early in the pandemic and Extendicare, operator of Manitoulin Centennial Manor in Little Current, said it would check its figures but was unable to provide a total by press time Monday.
