OTTAWA -- First responders in Ottawa are now receiving their first COVID-19 shots as the city’s vaccination campaign makes progress, city sources tell CTV News Ottawa.
A shipment of more than 9,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was delivered to Ottawa last Wednesday, and sources say work on long-term care homes is complete and efforts are underway to vaccinate first responders.
All Ottawa paramedics have received their first doses and the city is now working on vaccinating local firefighters. More than 500 firefighters received their first doses over the weekend.
According to Ottawa Public Health, nearly 97 per cent of all long-term care residents in Ottawa had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Feb. 14 and 91 per cent had received their second dose. OPH data also show 84 per cent of retirement home residents had received their first dose, as of Feb. 21.
To date, 46,559 shots have been administered in Ottawa. The city has received 48,460 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. OPH says the total number of doses received is based on a five-dose vial and that in many cases a sixth dose is successfully extracted, allowing vaccination teams to stretch out the supply and vaccinate more people.
Last week, the Ontario government announced it was moving adults over 80 into the phase one priority category. Sources tell CTV News Ottawa that the city will turn its focus this week to the plan for vaccinating the 80 and older population, which will include efforts in neighbourhoods with higher rates of infection and racialized communities, starting in March.
More details are expected from Ottawa's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, at city council on Wednesday.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Graham Richardson.
