City of Ottawa breaks record for daily shots in arms two days in a row

OTTAWA -

There was a major leap forward in the effort to vaccinate residents of Ottawa on Monday and another one on Tuesday.

Mayor Jim Watson tweeted to say more than 17,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in Ottawa on Monday, a new one-day record for shots in arms.

The previous high point was 16,298 doses administered on June 12.

In new data released Wednesday, Ottawa Public Health reported that 17,654 total doses were administered in Ottawa on Monday, but an even higher number was reported on Tuesday. OPH data show 18,091 COVID-19 vaccines were administered locally Tuesday, surpassing Monday's short-lived record.

• RELATED: How do I get the coronavirus vaccine in Ottawa?

To date, 699,197 residents of Ottawa 12 and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 197,037 are fully vaccinated with two doses. That accounts for 76 per cent and 21 per cent of the population 12 and older, respectively. 

The city received a major influx of doses last week, more than 118,000, according to OPH data, not counting doses sent to pharmacies and primary care clinics. This allowed the city to open five additional community clinics, which staff said would enable Ottawa to administer 100,000 shots per week. Another 53,820 doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived in Ottawa this week after a delay, along with 33,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Last week, more than 90,000 doses were administered in Ottawa for the second week in a row. Last week also saw the number of second doses administered exceed the number of first doses for the first time since staff completed vaccinations in the city's long-term care homes earlier this year.

A planned shipment of Pfizer doses this week was delayed, meaning only the Moderna vaccine had been available at community clinics in the past few days; however, the numbers shared Wednesday suggest that that hasn't slowed down the city's efforts to vaccinate residents. Experts say the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines are interchageable when it comes to second doses, and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has also said that an mRNA vaccine is the preferred choice for people who received AstraZeneca's viral vector-based vaccine as their first dose.

You can book an appointment for a vaccine on the Ontario government's COVID-19 vaccination portal online or by calling 1-833-943-3900 Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Appointments are also available at local pharmacies.

There are pop-up clinics for residents of high-priority neighbourhoods 12 and older that are offering first and second doses on a first-come, first-served basis with no appointments.

They can be found at the following locations:

Wednesday, June 23 to Friday, June 25, 12:15 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Bayshore Shopping Centre – 100 Bayshore Dr. -- North Entrance #2

Saturday, June 26, 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Howard Darwin Centennial (Merivale) Arena – 1765 Merivale Rd.

Sunday, June 27, 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Monday, June 28, 12:15 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• AMA Community Centre – 1216 Hunt Club Rd.