Local health officials now have a full year of data when it comes to administering the COVID-19 vaccine and it appears very few residents have had a reaction after getting the shot.
Just over 793,000 doses were given between December 2020 and December 2021 with just 156 emergency department visits due to reactions and only two patients were admitted to hospital for further treatment.
Windsor Regional Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad says the two residents who had a serious reaction still went on to get fully vaccinated.
"It's interesting to note that, despite these two patients, who did quite well by the way and were subsequently discharged from hospital, they completed their vaccine series and ended up getting their second and third doses of the vaccine to protect against severe illness."
Saad says the benefits far outweigh the risks.
"One of the things that we always look at with vaccinations is the question of safety. They're effective at preventing severe illness, they're effective at keeping people out of the ICU, but the question is, are there a lot of side effects and reactions? And now we have a good year of data to look at."
Hospital President and CEO David Musyj says those coming into hospital typically have minor symptoms.
"We're closing in on a million vaccine doses in Windsor-Essex and with very limited impact of people coming to the ED with soreness to their arms or issues like that. Those are the group of people coming to the emergency department."
Canada-wide, more than 75-million vaccines have been administered.