The Keeping Ontarians Safe plan will soon be rolling out in Wellington County.

The plan consists of the province investing almost $70 million to purchase flu vaccines and to prepare the health system for a second wave of COVID-19.

“The province has purchased the largest quantity of flu vaccines that they have in the past 20 plus years that they have been offering it," says Rita Isley, Chief Nursing Officer with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH).

She says this plan will help protect the most vulnerable in our population.

“Our young children, our individuals who have underlying health conditions, our elderly, and our pregnant members of the community,” she adds.

Isley says the more people we have vaccinated, the less likely we’re going to see very active flu activity in our community.

“If we don’t get our flu shot and we get the flu it makes our immune system so much weaker, and it actually puts us in a predisposition for getting other illnesses, which would include COVID,” she said.

WDGPH is anticipating shipment of the vaccine in the next couple of weeks.

She adds that WDGPH will officially have their clinics up and running the week of Oct. 19.

Chief Nursing Officer, Rita Isley: