The number of Bluewater Health staff getting vaccinated in hospital for flu and COVID-19 has been down so far this season, the hospital corporation’s boss says.
The number of Bluewater Health staff getting vaccinated in hospital for flu and COVID-19 has been down so far this season, the hospital corporation’s boss says.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Article content
Article content
About 20 per cent of Bluewater Health’s 2,000 staff have received jabs in hospital so far for flu and 10 per cent got the COVID-19 vaccine in hospital, president and CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer recently told board members, noting that’s “lower than we wanted .”
The rates are down from about 30 and 20 per cent in hospital at the end of last season, according to data from hospital group officials.
Even those relatively higher rates are lower than desired, said Reame-Zimmer.
“We’ll continue to really emphasize the importance,” she said.
Every year, Bluewater Health offers clinics in hospital starting in November, though staff can also get vaccinated at pharmacies or through primary care practitioners, said chief of staff Michel Haddad.
Advertisement 3
Article content
Previous in-hospital campaign results are measured from the end of the flu season, in the spring, said Haddad, adding he expects vaccination rates to rise as the season progresses.
“Most (staff) go to a pharmacy and don’t tell us about it, so it’s kind of hard to capture the true vaccination rate,” Haddad said.
Staff also have been busy training for a new hospital information system that went live in early November, and for other Bluewater Health initiatives, he said.
Hopes are now, that some of those requirements have been observed, “people will start paying more attention to other things like their own health,” he said, adding vaccination is important, especially in high-risk settings like hospitals.
“You should get those vaccines to reduce the impact of the infection, so you don’t get that sick,” he said.
Advertisement 4
Article content
People in general, especially those with weakened immune systems or multiple medical conditions, should also get vaccinated, he said.
In-hospital vaccination rates are higher among professional staff at Bluewater Health, including physicians, he said, with about 40 to 45 per cent of the 123 full-timers vaccinated in hospital so far.
That rate is up compared to the past two seasons, where uptake for flu and COVID shots varied between 21 and 36 per cent, officials said.
The rates don’t include about 70 part-timers who cover shifts from other hospitals, Haddad said.
There have been 59 patients at Bluewater Health admitted with COVID-19 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 4, Bluewater Health officials said.
There have been few if any patients admitted with influenza, so far, Haddad said.
Advertisement 5
Article content
“It’s still early,” he said, adding “usually by January and February you’ll see more of those.”
HAS high volume of patients showing up at Sarnia’s emergency room since the summer, contributing to emergency room waits, includes people with respiratory diseases, he said.
But those diseases are more often illnesses such as pneumonia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, he said.
Staff absenteeism rates also have remained about average, he said.
Data about this year’s flu vaccine, meanwhile, shows it’s expected to be a good match for circulating flu strains, he said, calling that very encouraging.
“Which means getting vaccinated will have better effectiveness.”
Getting vaccinated also is among recommendations from the Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team, in a recent news release about preparing for what’s typically a busy respiratory illness season around the Christmas holidays.
Others include calling primary care providers first, refilling prescriptions in advance before holiday closures, using Health 811 — at 1-866-797-0007 — for free and confidential health advice or information, getting RSV immunization for infants and children up to 24 months old and at high risk, using virtual urgent care at urgentcareontario.ca, checking in with providers people rely on in advance about their hours, and consulting mental health support listings at agefriendlysarnialambton.ca.
Article content