Ottawa mayor, Health Minister spar over city's COVID-19 vaccine allocation
Disagreements over the quantity of COVID-19 vaccines sent to Ottawa have devolved into a war of words between the city’s mayor and the Ontario government.
Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott wrote “as of end of day Sunday, June 13, Ottawa Public Health had 20,388 doses of Pfizer and 3,180 doses of Moderna in freezers. This is in addition to the 53,820 doses of Pfizer delivered yesterday.”
Mayor Watson was quick to respond, tweeting “we are required to keep one to two day supply in freezers so when our supply is one to two days late from the province we don’t have to cancel thousands of appointments!"
Watson wrote to the premier June 7, asking for an emergency shipment for 40,000 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines to meet the demand for accelerated second shots. The province had just allowed anyone 70 and older, as well as anyone who had received a first dose of a vaccine on or before April 18 to book an earlier second dose, which city staff had said would require tens of thousands of doses to provide on top of the appointments already booked for June. Many residents reported difficulty in booking earlier shots due to a lack of available appointments.
Health Minister Christine Elliott wrote back to Watson to say that while Ottawa's shipments from the province have been close to the provincial per capital allocation rate, the city has received additional vaccines at times.
"The province manages a small percentage of vaccines to support regions to respond to emerging issues. Ottawa has received an additional 37,760 doses from this allocation, over and above their per capita allocation, since early May," Elliott said.
"Ottawa is set to receive 53,820 Pfizer doses per week over the next month for health unit and hospital partners, with an additional 13,000 weekly Pfizer doses through the pharmacies. Additional allocations of Moderna will also be distributed as we expect that the federal government will provide Ontario with over two million doses of the Moderna vaccines before the end of June."
But speaking with Patricia Boal on the CTV News at Six on Monday evening, Watson said, when he spoke with the premier and the solicitor general Monday morning, he was asked to explain how the city would make use of the extra doses.
"We will send (Ford) a one-pager on how we can use those 40,000 doses that we asked for and get them into arms as quickly as possible and he said he will fight for us, so we'll hold him at his word."
Elliott's letter noted that municipal public health units are responsible for managing and overseeing the administration of vaccines in alignment with the province's immunization plan.
Watson said he wants the province to consider the demands placed on municipalities when they make changes to eligibility requirements.
"We pleaded with them, please don't make these decisions in isolation," Watson said.
According to data from Ottawa Public Health, 98 per cent of the city's vaccine inventory had been administered as of Sunday, but data on how many doses pharmacies have is unavailable.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Trump hush money trial: Play-by-play on Day 2 of Stormy Daniels testimony
Adult film star Stormy Daniels took the stand for a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump's hush money case continues in Manhattan.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.