OTTAWA -- The City of Ottawa says it will soon complete the first round of vaccinations at high-risk retirement homes in the city.
In a memo to city council, the head of the city's vaccine rollout, Anthony Di Monte, and Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches said residents of 37 high-risk homes will have received their first doses of COVID-19 by the end of the day Wednesday.
One home, Valley Stream Retirement, received vaccinations in January as the home was in the grips of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak. The remaining 36 homes identified as high-risk began receiving COVID-19 vaccines on Sunday after the arrival of 4,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
There are 84 retirement homes in Ottawa, according to the memo. The 37 homes that have so far received vaccines were identified as high-risk by Ottawa Public Health "based on criteria, including census information, the province’s ethical framework and other provincial guidance."
The memo said second dose vaccinations for long-term care home workers and essential caregivers and higher risk health care workers vaccinated at The Ottawa Hospital clinic are ongoing. The timeline for getting vaccines out to the remaining retirement homes in the city will be based on vaccine supply.
According to Ottawa Public Health, the city has received 30,255 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 4,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine as of Feb. 5, 2021.
