‘They weren’t forgotten’: Pharmacies in Peel Region next to offer vaccines in Ontario

By Lucas Casaletto

Ontario’s solicitor general says pharmacies in virus hot spots will be next to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to people aged 60 and older.

Sylvia Jones says Peel Region will be “absolutely” prioritized next for the pharmacy vaccine program based on high rates of COVID-19 there.

“They [Peel Region] weren’t forgotten,” said Jones on Monday.

Premier Doug Ford says both the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines will be available at select pharmacies once Peel is included as part of the program.

“We are going to double the amount of pharmacies up to 700, we [currently] have 350,” said Ford. “We really want to focus on Peel Region, York, and Toronto.”

Ford says there are a lot of bush fires around the province but his government has to focus on what he calls infernos, like in the GTA.

A pilot offering Oxford-AstraZeneca shots started this month in Toronto, Kingston, and Windsor pharmacies and it’s expected to expand to 700 sites over the next few weeks.

Jones says the expansion depends on supply and the exact sites are being determined with the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA), looking at health units with higher COVID-19 positivity rates.

The solicitor general adds that the work-from-home group, among those expected to receive the vaccine as early as June, is not being moved to the front of the line.

On Monday, Peel Region announced same-day vaccination appointments across six clinics, including Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon.


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York Region also announced it’s expanding vaccine appointments for those aged 70-and-up starting Tuesday.

The government has been criticized for passing over hot spot neighbourhoods and regions in the initial pharmacy pilot.

Jones says hot spots weren’t forgotten but the province was limited by vaccine supply and the April 2 expiry date for the first doses.

The Ontario government also announced it is providing over $1.2 billion to help provincial public hospitals recover from financial pressures created, and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The investment, the Ford government says, will ensure hospitals can continue to provide the “high-quality patient care” Ontarians need and deserve.


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“Hospitals have been at the centre of the pandemic from day one providing excellent care for our sick and vulnerable, and responding to the various outbreaks without hesitation,” said Premier Doug Ford.

“Clearly, this additional care comes at a cost, so as a government we must step up and support them. We need to ensure that our hospitals remain viable and are there for people long after COVID-19 has been beaten.”

Ontario health minister Christine Elliott said the province’s hospitals “have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and our government is using every tool at our disposal to support them during these unprecedented times.”

Elliott also said on Monday that she plans on receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine in front of cameras in order to encourage Ontarians to get immunized.

“It’s unfortunate there still is a lot of vaccine hesitancy around AstraZeneca,” said Elliott.

“It is safe, it works, it prevents hospitalizations, and it saves people’s lives. I am planning to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine and I will do it in front of the camera if I can convince one other person to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine that helps protect them and their health and safety and that of their families, I’m more than happy to do that.”

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