OTTAWA

Ottawa will 'get some' of the COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives in Canada: Mayor Watson

Josh Pringle CTV News Ottawa Producer and Digital Lead

Published Thursday, December 10, 2020 9:22AM EST

A Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, England, Tuesday Dec. 8, 2020. The United Kingdom, one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, is beginning its vaccination campaign, a key step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (Owen Humphreys/Pool via AP)

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OTTAWA -- When the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Ontario next week, Mayor Jim Watson expects Ottawa to receive some of the vials.

"We don't know how many, but we have been told that Ottawa will get some," said Watson during an interview on CTV Morning Live Thursday morning.

"I think at this point it's not going to be on a per capita basis because it's such a small number and there's such a large province to get the vials out to. Certainly, I've been pressing the case that Ottawa is a great distribution point; we have the facilities, the great hospital system and great professionals that can help with the distribution as quickly as possible."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the first 30,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Canada early next week after Health Canada approved the vaccine for use in Canada.

Sources told CTV News Ottawa Tuesday night that the province's hot zones, like Toronto and Peel Region, would be the priority for the upcoming delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.

"What the province is now working on now that Health Canada has given approval to the vaccine is the distribution system to the regions. We're obviously well prepared as the second largest city in the province to receive, probably be a relatively small number of batches the first go around," said Watson.

"And make sure that it gets into the arms of people who are working in the long-term care sector and the medical community so that they can continue to do the good work that they're doing."

Ottawa's head of emergency services Anthony Di Monte is leading Ottawa's COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force. Watson says the task force has been working "basically around the clock" to ensure Ottawa is ready when the COVID-19 vaccine does arrive.

Watson told CTV Morning Live Thursday morning that Ottawa does have ultra-cool freezers to store the Pfizer vaccine, and the province will supply others.

The federal and Ontario governments have been working to set up distribution points in Ontario for the Pfizer vaccine to arrive.

Di Monte told reporters on Wednesday that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout would be "one of the largest operations that we're taking on here in some time."

"The city is ready if we do receive a vaccine next week to be able to start with our partners putting needles in arms," said Di Monte.

The Ontario government will decide where the vaccine will be distributed first, and who will be first in line for the doses.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday the plan is to begin vaccinating the general population in April 2021, and have all Canadians immunized by the end of next year.