Poll finds only 55 percent of Ontarians would get COVID-19 vaccine

Despite daily positive news and a COVID-19 vaccine approval imminent, Ontario may have some work to do to convince its residents to get the shot.

A new poll shows that Ontarians are well-informed when it comes to vaccines but nearly half would not be willing to get inoculated right away.

The Campaign Research survey for the Toronto Star finds only 55 percent said they would be willing get the shot if it became available tomorrow.

Still, the survey finds that public awareness of vaccines in the province is actually very high. The poll finds over 90 percent of people know about at least one of the potential vaccines awaiting approval. Over 80 percent have heard of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

The Pfizer vaccine is set to be approved by Health Canada within days and the federal government has announced that Canada will be receiving its first shipments by the end of the year.

Justin Trudeau says the first doses are expected to arrive sometime next week and up to 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will hit Canadian soil by the end of December.

On Tuesday, British health authorities rolled out the first doses the Pfizer vaccine, starting a global immunization program that is expected to gain momentum as more vaccines become approved around the world.

U.K. regulators are now saying that people who have a “significant history” of allergic reactions should avoid the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program.

Two health workers are recovering from severe allergic reactions after getting vaccinated with the Pfizer shot on Tuesday.

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.

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.

Long-term care residents are part of the prioritized group but Canada’s top doctor Theresa Tam has said the first doses will likely go to those who can physically travel to one of the vaccine delivery sites set up by the provinces.