Ontario Expands COVID-19 vaccination sites

By: Laura Steiner

Ontario is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine locations.  The Pfizer vaccine will now be available at 17 new sites including Halton Healthcare over the next two weeks.

“Following a successful pilot, we are excited to continue onto the next stage of our rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines to Ontarians,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said.  The province expects another 90,000 doses from the federal government before the end of the year.  All the sites chosen have the necessary equipment to store the vaccine at the -70 temperature.

“This is an important step in our collective response to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Halton Regional Chair Gary Carry said.  The doses will be administered to healthcare workers in high risk settings such as long-term care homes and hospitals.

Halton’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Dr. Hamidah Meghani greets the development with optimism, but cautions residents to continue obeying the public health guidelines.  “No matter where you live, please continue to stay home as much as possible, only go out for essential reasons, and do not gather with anyone who does not live with you- indoors or outdoors.  These are early days for this vaccine, and we have a long road ahead to achieving herd immunity and understanding how it protects others,” she said.  Halton remains designated in the red zone or “restricted.”

Health Canada expects to complete its review of Moderna’s vaccine in the coming weeks.   168,000 doses could be ready for delivery within 48 hours of approval.