Lambton County librarians help retrieve vaccine receipts

Lambton County, Ont. -

The Lambton County community of Watford, Ont., like many towns, has seen businesses struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine certificates, or vaccine passports, have been designed to allow people to more safely go back to places like restaurants, bars and theatres. But the fear is that some will be left behind, including seniors.

On Tuesday afternoon, Madeleine stood on the street waiting her turn to go into the Service Ontario office. She has her proof of vaccination but worries about seniors who misplaced theirs.

“I’m fortunate, I have a granddaughter who is tech… she knows what she’s doing. But if you don’t have anybody young to do that, it’s difficult,” she says.

Now the Lambton County libraries have partnered with Lambton Public Health to help people attain their proof of vaccination.

Darlene Coke is Library Services Manager for Lambton County and says, “Offering this service, we’re eliminating a barrier for people who, perhaps, don’t have the technology or don’t have the knowledge or the comfort level, to access the vaccination receipt through that technology.”

There are 25 library branches spread throughout Lambton County, from Sarnia to Grand Bend and down to places like Petrolia and Watford; including smaller towns like Camalachie, which has a population of about 8,000 people.

Staff at every branch will be available to help with vaccination records retrieval. Coke says they can help get the information in a form that works best for each individual.

“We can provide printed copies of those receipts or if people bring with them their tablets or their devices and want to download it and a save that document onto their tablet or their smart phone, we’re able to coach them through that process as well.”

If you need to retrieved COVID-19 vaccination receipts you can follow this link.