The first to be vaccinated in Ontario are going to be vulnerable populations and the people who care for them in the most infectious regions. This will include long-term care and retirement home residents and the staff who provide their care.
This comes on the heels of Prime Minister Trudeau announcing that Canada is expected to approve the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shortly. The Prime Minister also stated that the country should receive 249,000 of Pfizer COVID-19 doses before the end of the year.
There are two additional COVID-19 vaccines going through the approval process. They were created by Moderna, and AstraZeneca. Of the three, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine requires the most sophisticated handling, because it must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius. Canada has purchase agreements with both Moderna and AstraZeneca.
Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and General Rick Hillier (retired), Chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force provided the details of Ontario's priorities.
Ontario immunization priority vaccine candidates
- Residents, staff, essential caregivers, and other employees of congregate living settings (e.g., long-term care homes and retirement homes) that provide care for seniors as they are at higher risk of infection and serious illness from COVID-19;
- Health care workers, including hospital employees, other staff who work or study in hospitals, and other health care personnel;
- Adults in Indigenous communities, including remote communities where risk of transmission is high; and
- Adult recipients of chronic home health care.
The roll out will also prioritize regions with the highest infection rate which includes Grey-Lockdown and Red-Control zones of which Oakville, Ontario is apart.
At first, COVID-19 vaccines are expected to only be available for non-pregnant adults over the age of 18 years old based on early clinical trials. As further information becomes available from clinical trials and from Health Canada approvals, the groups for which the vaccines are authorized for use could change.
According to the province this approach is based on evidence available, the guidance of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, as well as recommendations from the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force. Members, including ex-officio members, of the task force include experts in public health and immunization, health and clinical domains, ethics, behavioural science, operations and logistics, federal-provincial and Indigenous relations, and information technology and data.
Before any vaccines are available in Ontario or Canada, they will undergo rigorous clinical trials to ensure they are safe and effective, and be evaluated and authorized for use by Health Canada using rigorous standards. Once a vaccine is approved and in use, Health Canada will continue to monitor it to ensure it continues to be safe and effective.
As further information is made available about the various type of vaccines and availability of doses, additional details related to the implementation of the COVID-19 immunization program will be provided based on the latest medical advice and scientific evidence.
