Flu, COVID-19 vaccines now available to high-risk Kingston-area residents – Trentonian
Oct 18, 2023
High-risk individuals in Kingston area can access latest COVID-19 and flu vaccines starting Tuesday
High-risk individuals in the Kingston region can now access flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a release from Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Public Health on Tuesday.
The public health agency identifies individuals at high risk for flu or COVID-19-related complications or hospitalization as: residents and staff of congregate living settings, such as chronic care facilities and retirement homes; pregnant individuals; people 65 years of age and older; children six months to four years of age; individuals from a First Nation or Métis community, or who self-identify as First Nation, Inuit or Métis, and their household members; and anyone six months of age or older with underlying health conditions per the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
Health-care workers and first responders are also eligible to be vaccinated now.
The general public will be able to access flu and COVID-19 vaccinations on Oct. 30 at “participating primary care offices and pharmacies.”
“The region continues to be at high risk for COVID-19,” Brian Larkin, manager for vaccine preventable disease at KFL&A Public Health, said in a written statement on Tuesday. “Getting vaccinated is the best way to keep yourself safe from these viruses. We encourage everyone to make sure they’re up to date with their flu and COVID-19 shots.”
Larkin said that it’s important for local residents to take advantage of all the “tools in the toolbox” by staying home if unwell, washing hands often, covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and keeping vaccinations up to date.
