Ontario government’s vaccine rollout is well underway since launching in December. Frontline health care workers who participated in the successful Pfizer pilot program in Toronto and Ottawa are receiving their second doses this week.
To date, 44 vaccine sites have been established. Over 50,000 people have been administered the Pfizer vaccine, including over 26,000 vaccinations administered to health care workers in long-term care homes and retirement homes, over 20,000 vaccinations administered to health care workers, and nearly 1,000 vaccinations administered to residents.
Nearly 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered to 24 long-term care homes between December 31, 2020, and January 3, 2021. Over 4,000 doses to 26 long-term care homes of the Moderna vaccine are planned to be administered between January 4 and January 6. An estimated 2 million vaccine doses are expected to arrive throughout the winter during Phase One of the province’s vaccine implementation plan.
“Ontario continues to make important progress in quickly and safely vaccinating our frontline health care workers, our most vulnerable and those at greatest risk, and we continue to administer doses to thousands of Ontarians across the province,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues, the Ontario government is investing an additional $398 million during the second wave to reduce the virus’s risk from entering long-term care homes from the community. The new funding will help homes adhere to enhanced staff and visitor testing requirements and improve COVID-19 prevention and containment. The new investment brings Ontario’s total financing to protect long-term care homes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to $1.38 billion.
