For the second straight week, the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Windsor-Essex is down significantly.
Local health unit CEO Nicole Dupuis says the last week of January saw just over 7,100 doses while the week before saw over 10,000 doses.
This represents a 31% decrease between the two weeks with the 5 to 11 age group having the lowest coverage rate.
Dupuis says, if the trend continues, resources may be shifted away from the region's mass vaccination sites.
"Then our strategy will shift, as it had in the past, to focusing more on those mobile outreach efforts to continue to get out into the community and make sure that vaccines are available and accessible to those who still have not received their first second or third dose."
She says ramping down mass vaccination sites could happen sooner than later.
"We continue at Sears with Windsor Regional and we're grateful for their partnership and support. As well, we have the county site and the one in the west end operated mainly by Hotel-Dieu Grace. We are communicating and talking with our partners right now about what's the end date for those sites."
Dupuis says mass vaccination sites did a great job of handling the initial rush, but they may not be needed much longer.
"Mass vaccination sites, obviously, aren't sustainable forever. So we are having those discussions regularly about redeploying staff. You'll hear more about that, certainly, as we work on our plans and we consider what might a wind down look like."
Vaccine rates have been on a steady decline since the beginning of January — the second week of the month from the 10th to 16th saw more than 19,000 doses administered.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi