RENFREW, ONT. -- As the first COVID-19 vaccinations went into arms in Ottawa Tuesday, the question of when the areas surrounding the capital region will start seeing vaccines comes to mind.
Dr. Robert Cushman, the acting medical officer of health for Renfrew County, believes vaccines will come to the region in early 2021.
“Now we have the Moderna vaccine that is coming on. I think early in the new year we’re going to see vaccines in Renfrew County,” says Dr. Cushman.
It’s a rough projection by Dr. Cushman, who acknowledges that the vaccine situation is developing day by day.
“I thought we were only going to have Pfizer vaccines as of yesterday, but it looks like we’re going to have Moderna vaccines now very quickly, so it’s really hard to say. I think we need to go week by week.”
When the vaccines do arrive, they will be administered based on urgency and priority, with the first shots given to those in long-term care homes.
“Workers principally, then residents,” says Dr. Cushman. “Then, we’re going to be moving from there to health-care workers and retirement homes, and down on through the priority list.”
While the news of vaccines coming to smaller communities will be reason for optimism, Dr. Cushman warns that the citizens of Renfrew County cannot let their guard down in this final stretch and it is still up to the community to continue to be proactive.
“[Vaccines] are coming, but they’re not going to help us before winter is over. So, between now and the end of winter, it is up to the public to carry us through,” he says.
“If I were a betting person, I don’t expect we’ll be running (vaccination) clinics between now and the new year," Dr. Cushman says of the coming weeks, "but I anticipate a lot of activity from then on.”
