COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario: Frontline workers, LTC residents among group to be vaccinated 1st

Ontario’s government has revealed who will receive the early doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as part of phase one of its rollout – a group that includes frontline workers, essential caregivers, and residents and staff across the province’s many long-term care homes.

Doug Ford, health minister Christine Elliott, and Gen. Rick Hillier said the vaccine rollout will be carried out in three phases with Ontario’s premier confirming the province could begin securing doses of Pfizer’s vaccine as early as next week.

“We must deploy these first shipments of a safe and effective vaccine where they will make the most impact and save lives,” Ford said on Monday.

“That means vaccinating our vulnerable seniors and those who care for them as soon as possible. We are working diligently with Gen. Hillier and the task force to ensure anyone in Ontario who needs a vaccine will get one when we receive them from the federal government.”

On Monday, Justin Trudeau and the federal government said Canada will secure over 200,000 of the vaccine. Health Canada has yet to approve the drug, but Trudeau said he wants to assure Canadians that any vaccine seen in the country will be safe and effective.

Approval of the vaccine is expected within days, and the military is today conducting a drill to test plans to roll it out across the country. Gen. Hillier also confirmed that Ontario is set to secure roughly 2.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines within the first few months of 2021.

“People are going to have to be patient that their turn will come,” he said.

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Ford said his government will be prioritizing the rollout of the vaccine in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection, including those in the ‘Red-Control‘ and ‘Lockdown zones’. Gen. Hillier said the vaccine will be more broadly available to the public starting in April, saying it will take between six to nine months to distribute across the province.

“…But we’re still very far, and I’ve got to repeat that, very far, from having the millions of vaccines we need for mass immunization,” the premier cautioned.

As of Monday, Toronto and Peel remain in lockdown with York, Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Waterloo, and Windsor-Essex under ‘Red-Control‘ restrictions.

The immunization program will focus on healthcare workers and the most vulnerable populations in those regions.

“…We are asking people to look out for their elderly loved ones and protect themselves by continuing to follow the public health measures,” Ford added.

Groups receiving the early vaccine doses in the first few months of the Ontario immunization program, as confirmed by the government, are as follows:

• Residents, staff, essential caregivers, and other employees of congregate living settings (e.g., long-term care homes and retirement homes) that provide care for seniors as they are at higher risk of infection and serious illness from COVID-19.
• Health care workers, including hospital employees, other staff who work or study in hospitals, and other health care personnel.
• Adults in Indigenous communities, including remote communities where the risk of transmission is high.
• Adult recipients of chronic home health care.

One possible hurdle Ontario’s government could face with Pfizer’s vaccine is the temperature in which it’s required to be stored (kept frozen below minus-70 C). Moderna’s vaccine, another candidate that Canada is expected to secure doses of, only needs to be kept in temperatures below minus-20 C, at the very least.

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Elliott said Ontario has 21 hospitals with freezer capabilities approved to carry Pfizer’s vaccine, admitting that there are concerns about the storage and eventual distribution.

“Ontario is ready to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Ontarians as soon as they are available, and that starts with vaccinating our most vulnerable and those at greatest risk,” Minister Elliott said.

“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all Ontarians, so we will make sure that no matter where they are receiving a vaccine, they will have a fast and safe immunization experience.”

With files from The Canadian Press