COVID-19 Update for December 7 2020- 2:30PM

Today, Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Anand provided an update to Canadians on the national vaccine distribution and the work done to secure an early arrival of vaccine doses from Pfizer.

Premier Ford was joined by Gen. Rick Hillier (retired) who highlighted the government’s multi-phase vaccine rollout plan.

Canada could receive Pfizer vaccines as early as next week

The Government of Canada has secured an agreement with Pfizer to receive an early shipment of Canada’s vaccine order. Pending Health Canada approval, a delivery of 249,000 Pfizer doses could arrive in Canada as early as next week. This will start the arrival of vaccine doses in Canada, with millions more to arrive throughout 2021.

Currently Pfizer, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Provinces are working together to coordinate the arrival of these vaccines and ensure the 14 initial vaccine distribution sites are prepared. The arrival of these vaccines will accelerate the government’s immunization campaign, which will be the largest in Canadian History.

Health Canada could provide regulatory approval of the vaccine in the coming days.

Long Term Care a central focus of Phase 1 vaccine rollout

Today Gen. Rick Hillier alongside Premier Doug Ford announced the multi-phase approach that will guide Ontario’s vaccine rollout across the province. Ontario will deploy vaccines throughout three phases over the coming year.

The first phase of Ontario’s vaccine rollout will be focused on the vaccines we know will be coming in the next months, including the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine. This initial phase will last until about April 2021 and will focus on administering vaccines to those who are in highest need. A central component to this will be administering vaccines in long term care homes and ensuring that residents, workers, and support staff are being immunized. Due to the staggered delivery of vaccines to the province, there will be an added emphasis placed on the province’s red zones, as well as LTCs that have had prior outbreaks or communal eating areas.

The second phase will last about six to nine months and will ensure that everyone who wants to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will have access to one. As the majority of the population begins to be immunized, the province will move to phase 3 in which the provincial administration of the vaccine will be delegated to pharmacists, clinics and local doctors to maintain the supply of vaccines beyond next year.

You can read the announcement here.