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
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
What to pack during an emergency
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
Hot history: Tree rings show that last northern summer was the warmest since year 1
The broiling summer of 2023 was the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere in more than 2,000 years, a new study found.
Regulated area for invasive box tree moth expanded to parts of the Maritimes
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has added much of the Maritimes to a regulated area for an invasive species.