Pharmacies warn of expiring Moderna doses as pace of vaccination slows
There was a steady flow of traffic walking in and out of the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Ottawa City Hall on Sunday, with residents leaving fully vaccinated.
“I got the Pfizer,” said 15-year-old Kira, who is now fully dosed and excited for the school year.
“I got my second dose of Moderna here at city hall,” confirmed Brendan. “It felt good to finally get it.”
Ahead of the weekend, Ottawa Public Health reported that 84 per cent of Ottawa residents 12 and older have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 71 per cent are fully immunized.
While OPH says community clinics do not have any vaccines at risk of expiration, it's a different story in Ontario pharmacies.
Across the province, vials of Moderna continue to sit unused. Ontario pharmacists are warning that the supply could go to waste if people don't show up and get a jab by the end of the week.
“When you puncture a vial, you only have 12 hours to use the 14 doses,” said Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association. “If someone cancels or doesn’t show up you’re in that short window to use the full 14 doses. A number of not used will have to be disposed because they will reach their overall expiration date.”
The Pharmacists Association says a slowdown in Ontario's vaccine rollout and the public's preference for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have made it harder for pharmacies to use up their Moderna doses
"I heard it's okay to mix but I just don't want to," said Carlos Cuoto, who got his second dose on Sunday. He was intent on getting the same dose as before.
"I plan on travelling and my understanding is not every country recognizes mixing doses. They want to see you have proof you got two doses that were the same, so I got Pfizer," he said.
The Ontario Pharmacists Association says they are advocating for the federal government to have a universal definition for what "fully vaccinated" really means, having full confidence it will eventually be accepted by other countries.
“The evidence continues to show mixing is very effective,” said Bates. “I don't think people should fear long-term being denied access to places because of mixing.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.