Ottawa residents may have to interchange mRNA vaccines as more Moderna doses arrive, city says
The head of Ottawa's COVID-19 vaccine rollout says the city will attempt to have both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines available at all 11 community clinics to offer residents the same dose for a second shot.
But with a flood of Moderna vaccines scheduled to arrive in Ottawa and Canada, general manager of emergency and protective services Anthony Di Monte says at some point, "you'll be asked to take the mRNA vaccine that's available to you."
Ottawa received a shipment of 53,800 doses of Pfizer this week, along with 31,360 doses of Moderna. On Friday, Di Monte told council 27,000 doses of Moderna vaccines were scheduled to arrive on Friday, along with an additional "strategic allocation" of 35,000 Moderna vaccines.
According to the Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, 498,690 Ottawa residents 12 and older have received a Pfizer vaccine for the first dose, while 115,676 residents have received a first dose of Moderna vaccine. A total of 66,996 residents have received an AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose.
In an interview on Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with guest host Graham Richardson on Friday, Di Monte joked that Ottawa was a "Pfizer community" for the first part of the vaccine rollout.
Di Monte says while Ottawa will continue to receive its weekly shipment of Pfizer doses, there will be "a lot more Moderna."
"We are going to attempt to have in all our sites kind of a mix, so we'll try at the beginning to always offer you the first vaccine that you got – so if you got a Moderna, you'll get a Moderna. If you got a Pfizer, we'll try to give you a Pfizer," said Di Monte.
"But I think we will get to a point that will become more and more difficult and so you'll be able to get a vaccine, there will be a vaccine waiting for you, that's been our commitment it will be there but it might not be the one you got initially."
Ottawa Public Health issued a statement this week, encouraging Ottawa residents to take the first COVID-19 vaccine available as your second dose to provide earlier two-dose protection.
Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches told CTV News at Six on Wednesday that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its recommendation on the interchangeability of vaccines.
"The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has said that the COVID vaccines are interchangeable, which means you can start with one vaccine and finish your series with a different one," said Etches.
"When it comes to the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, they are practically identical in the way the science works, in the way the studies were done, the effectiveness and the side effects – so, this is definitely something we would support. People are trying to get their second dose and as soon as they can."
Ottawa Public Health insists all COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Canada are safe and effective and they will reduce the risk of serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths.
On Monday, the Ontario government will expand the eligibility to receive an accelerated second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to residents 18 and older who received their first dose before May 9.
Starting June 28, all adults will be eligible to book an accelerated second dose appointment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.