Questions about COVID-19 vaccine? Eastern Health sets up phone line

Eastern Health has set up a toll-free phone line to help answer questions and set up vaccine appointments, as Newfoundland and Labradormoves forward with its COVID-19 vaccination plan.

The telephone line will be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. NT, for people who are unable to book their vaccine appointments using the web portal.

The number will also be the point of contact for anyone who needs to cancel or reschedule, or ask questions about, their appointment.

Eastern Health's vaccine phone lineis: 1-833-951-3884.

Currently, only those identified in the vaccine priority rollout plan issued by the province are able to pre-register for a vaccine, including first responders, home support workers,and individuals 80 years of age and older, and in some communities, individuals in the 70 plus range.

Eastern Health has vaccination clinics set up throughoutits region at varying dates at times in the following communities: Bonavista, Lethbridge, Clarenville, Marystown, Grand Bank, Arnold's Cove, Whitbourne, Holyrood, Norman's Cove, Placentia, Old Perlican, Heart's Delight-Islington, St. Bride's, St. Mary's, Carbonear, St. John's, Conception Bay South, Bell Island and Ferryland.

On Friday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said roughly 48,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in the province so far.

The provincial Health Department has identified priority groups that will receive doses first, starting with long-term care home residents and front-line workers. The first inoculations of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were given out in December.

Since then, three more vaccines have been approved for use in Canada: Moderna, AstraZeneca-Oxfordand Johnson & Johnson.

With more vaccines arriving, timelines for who will be able to get a vaccine have been moved up, with health officials adding additional priority groups for the initial shipment of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to include border services staff, search and rescue teams, sheriff'sofficers, corrections officers and other enforcement groups.

While Eastern Health continues to follow the province's vaccine rollout plan for priority populations, the health authority said residents should continue to follow public health guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

More information on further vaccine schedules and clinics will be released when that information is available, Eastern Health said in a release.

The goal is to have 380,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador vaccinated by the end of June, barring issues with vaccine shipment or supply.

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