Kanata North COVID-19 Update June 14 

Good evening Kanata North,  

It makes me very happy to see our community’s businesses reopening, people out enjoying the community, and COVID-19 vaccines reaching more and more people.  

Residents who received AstraZeneca as their first vaccine dose are now eligible to book within an 8-week period rather than the initial 12 weeks. An appointment can be booked through either the Provincial Booking System or through pharmacies. A large number of appointments were made available this morning and again this afternoon via the provincial online booking site at the St. Laurent Clinic.  

Vaccines are reaching more people than ever before. To date, over 771,262 doses have been administered in Ottawa. If you’re eligible, please book a vaccination. As restrictions begin to ease, please continue to use your judgement and avoid taking risks. Let’s all continue to work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19.   

Understanding the Roadmap to Reopen 

The province has outlined their plan to reopen businesses across the province. We are presently in Step 1. Each step is separated by at least 21 days to ensure the province is reopened safely, and our public health indicators are at a sustainable level.  

What’s permitted under step 1? (Currently in effect)   

  • Larger outdoor gatherings for up to 10 people   
  • Outdoor dining for up to 4 people per table   
  • Essential retail capacity at 25%   
  • Non-essential retail at 15%   
  • Outdoor religious services, rites and ceremonies with capacity limited to permit physical distancing of 2 metres   
  • Outdoor sports, fitness and personal training up to 10 people   
  • Day camps   
  • Campsites and campgrounds   
  • Overnight camping at Ontario Parks   
  • Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways   
  • Outdoor pools and wading pools  
  • Ontario border restrictions remain in effect until June 16 

What’s permitted under step 2? (Expected to start 21 days after step 1 begins)   

  • Larger outdoor gatherings for up to 25 people   
  • Small indoor gatherings for up to 5 people   
  • Outdoor dining for up to 6 people per table   
  • Essential retail at 50% capacity   
  • Non-essential retail capacity at 25%   
  • Personal care services (barbers, salons, etc) where face coverings can be worn at all times   
  • Outdoor meeting and event spaces   
  • Outdoor amusement and water parks   
  • Outdoor boat tour operators   
  • Outdoor county fairs and rural exhibitions   
  • Outdoor sports leagues and events   
  • Outdoor cinemas, performing arts, live music events and attractions   

What’s permitted under step 3? (Expected to start 21 days after step 2 begins)   

  • Larger indoor and outdoor gatherings   
  • Indoor dining   
  • Essential and non-essential retail open with limited capacity   
  • Larger indoor religious services, rites, and ceremony gatherings   
  • Indoor meeting and event spaces   
  • Indoor sports and recreational facilities   
  • Indoor seated events   
  • Indoor attractions and cultural amenities   
  • Casino and bingo halls   
  • Other outdoor activities from Step 2 permitted to operate indoors   

VACCINE UPDATE  

Introducing Vax Aide  

Booking vaccinations and navigating facts digitally poses a challenge for many in our community. It’s important that everyone is vaccinated in a timely manner, but the barriers technology can create leave some people in our community more vulnerable at this time than others. Vax Aide is a new support service launched in collaboration with the Human Needs Task Force, 211, Ottawa Public Health and Volunteer Ottawa. They will make booking appointments easier for people in our community through the following:   

  • Use volunteer administrators to book vaccine appointments for the vulnerable, particularly now as second doses are in  
  • Use a newly created vetted volunteer driver pool, to drive the vulnerable to their appointments  
  • Coordinate with 2-1-1 to ensure over 65 and under 65 are covered for transportation  

If you or someone you know needs assistance, please review the information available through the Vax Aide website.  

First dose eligibility at a community clinic (12+)      

Residents can book an appointment on the online provincial booking portal or by calling 1-833-943-3900. Residents can book online for appointments at the community vaccination clinics:       

  • Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue  
  • Ruddy Family YMCA-YWCA, 265 Centrum Boulevard  
  • Eva James Memorial Community Centre, 65 Stonehaven Drive  
  • City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West  
  • St-Laurent Complex, 525 Côté Street  
  • Canterbury Recreation Complex, 2185 Arch Street  
  • Infinity Convention Centre, 2901 Gibford Drive (temporary clinic location, June 12- 14 

How to book a vaccine at a pharmacy (12+)    

While supplies are limited, some pharmacies in Ottawa are providing Moderna for residents 18+ and Pfizer for residents 12+. If you’re eligible for vaccination, please register ASAP. Additional information as well as participating locations can be found on the Province of Ontario website. Kanata pharmacies participating in the program include:       

These vaccinations are separate from Ottawa Public Health and the City of Ottawa’s vaccination roll-out. Residents are asked to call participating pharmacies directly or the Province of Ontario Vaccination Information Line at 1-888-999-6488 if they have questions on the pharmacy vaccination program. Supplies are limited and appointments are booking quickly.       

If your first dose was AstraZeneca  

If your first dose was the AstraZeneca vaccine, for your second dose you can choose to receive either:  

  • a second dose of AstraZeneca  
  • one of the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna)  

You may now book 8 weeks after your first vaccination of AstraZeneca. Previously, residents that received AstraZeneca needed to wait 12 weeks, but that period has been accelerated. You may book through the provincial booking system or through pharmacies.   

Thank you for your patience. I appreciate the efforts every one of you have made to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Let’s all continue our efforts to be patient, and please support local businesses however you can.  

 

Take care,   

Jenna Sudds