OTTAWA -- The city of Ottawa expects more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to arrive next week, and those doses will go into the arms of residents in long-term care homes.
As of Friday morning, there were only 253 COVID-19 vaccines left in Ottawa's freezers.
A total of 25,350 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Ottawa since Dec. 14. According to Ottawa Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard, 25,350 doses had been administer to residents and staff of long-term care homes, along with health care workers as of Friday.
The city received zero doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this week as the company cutback shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine while it expands its European manufacturing facility in Belgium.
Speaking on CTV Morning Live Friday morning, Ottawa's General Manager of Emergency and Protective Services Anthony Di Monte said the city expects more doses to arrive early next week.
"We're going to get another order probably in early next week and with that we believe we'll be able to finish all the residents of the long-term care homes, which is our first priority," said Di Monte. "But then after that, not all bets are off but we're waiting to find out how much more vaccine we may get."
Di Monte says starting this weekend, Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Hospital will begin administering second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to residents in long-term care homes, using the 1,000 doses still in freezers.
The city said 92 per cent of all long-term residents in 28 homes across the city received their first dose of the COVID-19 this month.
Ontario has directed that residents in long-term care homes and high-risk retirement homes should receive the second dose of the vaccine within the 21 to 27 day window following the first dose.
CTV Morning Live host Leslie Roberts asked Di Monte if the current shortage of COVID-19 vaccines is frustrating.
"It is. One of your colleagues told me, 'We're in the retail business here in the city right, we're putting needles in arms', that's where we are. So unless we have vaccine, it's very, very difficult," said Di Monte.
"That's the responsibility of the federal government and then the provincial government sets the criteria of who we have to vaccine and in what order. We've got everything set up; the teams are ready, are vaccinators are there, we've even prepared our mass clinics – we've got four of the seven mass clinics that we're going to set up for August already up and running and ready to go.
"So ya, it is frustrating ... everyone's motivated, and we want to get this community vaccinated to protect our neighbours and loved ones."
Under the city’s vaccine rollout plan, Phase 2 between March and July will focus on vaccinating older adults, high-risk congregate settings, front-line essential workers and other high-risk populations. Vaccines are expected to be available for anyone who wants to be immunized starting in August.
Roberts asked Di Monte that if the city starts "swimming" in COVID-19 vaccines this spring and summer, would the city look at double-shifts at COVID-19 vaccination clinics and other measures to speed up the vaccination process.
"We have all those scenarios in planning. We can run 24-7 if we have to. The good thing about our plan is it can be ramped up or ramped down accordingly; unfortunately we're in a ramp down period right now," said Di Monte. "But yes, all seven could run 24-7 if we're swimming in vaccine, and I hope that's the problem we end up having eventually."
Doctor's offices and pharmacies will also administer the COVID-19 vaccine to Ottawa residents.
