Ontario physicians want ‘increased involvement’ in current vaccine rollout
Posted March 23, 2021 12:34 pm.
Last Updated March 23, 2021 12:58 pm.
Family physicians say they want to be more engaged in the province’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) thinks they’re being underutilized and could be helping those most vulnerable, hesitant, and homebound.
OCFP says a recent survey found that one-third of Ontarians remain unsure about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and would “be more likely to get vaccinated if it were endorsed and administered by a family doctor.”
A majority of survey respondents (87 percent) reported they go to their family doctor first for health a-dvice.
“With the recent government announcement to expand the vaccine rollout, family physicians will continue to step up and support public health in mass vaccination clinics,” said Dr. Liz Muggah, OCFP President.
“However, we know that many options beyond pharmacy and mass vaccination sites will be needed to ensure we reach all Ontarians, including those who are vulnerable, hesitant, and homebound. We must use the full potential of family physicians and primary care to ensure an efficient and equitable rollout.”
Some family physicians in Toronto, Peel Region, Hamilton, Guelph, Peterborough, and Simcoe-Muskoka are offering Oxford-AstraZeneca shots to patients aged 60 and older as part of a pilot project.
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There have also been calls for family doctors to be more involved in helping vaccinate seniors who can’t access mass immunization sites.
According to the OCFP, their findings show that giving Ontarians the option to get their vaccines from a family doctor could increase uptake by as much as 61 percent among people who are hesitant to be treated against COVID-19.
The OCFP says this could reduce vaccine skepticism in Ontario from 32 percent to 12 percent and result in over two million additional Ontarians on board to be inoculated.
“Family doctors can help boost vaccine confidence. We know our patients best, and we know how to reach those most vulnerable,” said Dr. Tara Kiran, a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
“An all-hands-on-deck approach must include a central role for family doctors in the province’s vaccination plan. Thousands of family doctors in the province are prepared and ready to get to work vaccinating Ontarians.”
Health Minister Christine Elliott says more vaccine supply will be sent to primary care physicians in the future, though she did not provide specifics.
The OCFP says the association is “encouraged” by the success of the in-clinic vaccination pilot program in the aforementioned six regions with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The drugmaker said Monday that its vaccine is 79 percent effective against the virus.
With files from The Canadian Press
