Point Edward, ON – Today marks the one year anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccines administered in Lambton County.

The first recipient in the region was Valerie Verberg, a resident of Trillium Villa Nursing Home in Sarnia. At 88 years young, Valerie was thrilled to be the first recipient. “I feel great,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m the first one!” Valerie was among the high-risk groups prioritized in the early days of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Dr. Sudit Ranade, Medical Officer of Health for the County of Lambton, believes it’s important to mark these milestones so it can remind us where we were a year ago and where we are now.

“The rollout of the COVID-19 Immunization campaign in Lambton County was a turning point,” he said. “It ushered in a new way to fight this pandemic and changed the course of how it was managed. There is no doubt we are in a much better place with these vaccines than we would have been without them.”

Since then, thanks to the monumental efforts of public health staff, partners and volunteers, the region has administered a total of 256,646 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to adults, adolescents and children across Lambton County. In all, this represents 82 percent of the eligible population having received at least one dose and 78 percent with two doses. To date, 54,194 Lambton County residents have received a third booster dose.

“This is a remarkable achievement, especially amid a rapidly changing landscape,” noted Dr. Ranade. “It inspires us to reflect, recognize and thank all those involved in the coordination, distribution, delivery, administration, education, outreach and promotion of COVID-19 vaccines over the past year.”

The health unit marked the occasion by dropping off cupcakes to Valerie and her friends at Trillium before making their way to local vaccine clinics in Point Edward and Forest, and several key community partners to celebrate the milestone with staff.

For the latest updates on Lambton County’s COVID-19 Immunization Rollout or to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment please visit GetTheVaccine.ca. Lambton Public Health is also available to assist from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 519-383-8331.

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Please contact:

LPH-media-inquiries@county-lambton.on.ca

Quick Facts

Since January 26, 2021 Lambton Public Health and its partners have:

• Administered 103,839 first doses; 98,210 second doses; 54,194 third doses; 403 fourth doses.
• Held 284 fixed site clinics which were supported by over 842 staff and volunteers.
• Hosted 56 pop-up clinics in rural communities throughout Lambton County.
• Deployed LPH’s Mobile Vaccine Team 187 times to deliver vaccines to the community’s most vulnerable, including homebound patients and individuals in congregate care settings.
• Held 36 vaccine clinics at local First Nations communities, through the support of the Mobile Vaccine Team.