Shoppers Drug Mart, Costco among 325-plus pharmacies that will administer AstraZeneca shot in Ontario

Ontario has received its first shipment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and the race is on to make sure the shots get into arms before they expire on April 2.

As of Friday, the province announced that over 325 pharmacies will be offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to eligible Ontarians aged 60 to 64, by appointment only, as part of the vaccine delivery pilot program in specific regions.

The various locations include pharmacies at Shoppers Drug Mart, Costco, Wal-Mart, and Loblaws, among others, spread out across Toronto, Kingston, and Windsor-Essex.

Frontenac, Lennox, & Addington will also vaccinate members 60 to 64 at select pharmacies.

“We are about to achieve a major milestone in our battle against COVID-19, by the end of the day we expect to reach the one million mark for doses administered and continue to lead the country in vaccinations completed,” said Premier Doug Ford.

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“But we are just ramping up and mobilizing even more members of Team Ontario in our pharmacies and primary care settings. We have a plan to get vaccines into arms as quickly as possible in order to keep people safe and we will do that as long as we have a steady supply from the federal government.”

Online booking for the shot will begin on Friday, though Costco and Rexall pharmacies are already offering appointments on their websites.

Rexall is currently listing 25 participating Toronto locations.

Brampton and Mississauga mayors Patrick Brown and Bonnie Crombie say Peel Region will also be part of the pilot and will have 8 partners in the region that will administer the shots.

“What this means is that more Mississauga residents will have access to the vaccine sooner,” said Crombie.

“Peel as a whole has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the country during the pandemic, and ensuring we can quickly vaccinate as many residents as possible is critical to our recovery efforts. This pilot project helps us get there.”

A portion of the AstraZeneca doses is also expected to go to primary care physicians who will administer them to their patients.

To ramp up capacity, the province says it’s working with primary care professionals to offer vaccinations in primary care settings and community locations, such as physician offices, in collaboration with public health units.

The initiative will begin in Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph, Peterborough, Simcoe-Muskoka, and Peel as of March 13.

“Primary care providers will not be taking appointments by request but will be contacting eligible Ontarians aged 60-64 directly to book an appointment starting today, March 10. They will only be offering the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine at this time,” the government said in a release.

Ford confirmed pharmacies will receive 164,500 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while family physicians will get 29,500 doses of the newly-approved treatment.

The president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) said her group has discussed family doctors’ involvement with the head of the province’s vaccine effort but details on when physicians can expect to receive doses and how many will arrive have yet to be provided.

“Having those specifics and certainty would certainly help everyone with the planning and the communication,” said Dr. Samantha Hill, prior to Wednesday’s announcement.

Elliott says that none of the shots will go to waste.

“Ontario’s vaccine rollout is a true team effort and we are thankful for the support of our dedicated frontline health care providers as we advance through each phase,” said the Health Minister.

“Together we are continuing to build capacity to ensure every Ontarian who wants a vaccine can get one as quickly and safely as possible.”

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The vaccine from AstraZeneca is the third approved in the county and was authorized for use on all adults, including seniors, but the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is concerned there is limited data on how well the vaccine will work in older populations.

The NACI is not recommending the shot for anyone over the age of 65.

While all three approved vaccines are 100 percent effective against death and hospitalization as a result of COVID-19, the NACI says the two mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna should be prioritized for older Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says half-a-million doses of the AstraZeneca shot arrived in Canada last week and are being distributed to provinces.

On March 5, Health Canada also approved the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults 18 years of age and over.

Further details on Ontario’s distribution of this single-dose vaccine will be released shortly, pending guidance from the NACI and the feds.

RELATED: Trudeau says Johnson & Johnson shipments could be delayed due to manufacturing problems

On Monday, Mayor John Tory announced Toronto has enough vaccine supply to open three mass immunization clinics starting March 17.

The Toronto clinics will operate seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and details on clinic operations, including how to book, will be available in the coming days.

Some Ontario public health units will continue to use their own vaccination booking systems even after a provincial portal becomes available next week.

The government is preparing to move into Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan next month, with a focus on vaccinating populations based on age and risk.

With files from the Canadian Press