Durham Region Health Department said it has not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine from the Ontario government.
“We will ensure that our community is informed as soon as access to vaccine is available for the broader public,” said a Durham Health tweet on Wednesday.
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Kyle, said Durham Region is planning for the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine based on provincial direction.
“Everyone has been anticipating the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine and is anxious for more information. Durham Region Health Department remains committed to sharing information as soon as it becomes available,” he said in an issued statement.
The decisions regarding how the vaccine will be distributed across Ontario and who will be vaccinated first are under the control of the provincial government. The province has developed a three-phase plan for vaccinating Ontarians which is available on its Covid-19 vaccines for Ontario web page. The plan focuses first on vulnerable populations who are at greatest risk of Covid-19. At this time, the Health Department has not received any vaccine and we are awaiting further information from the province regarding timelines, said Dr. Kyle.
Under the provincial plan, Lakeridge Health is one of 17 Ontario hospitals that received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to support vaccination of designated essential caregivers. Currently, individuals who are being vaccinated in Durham Region include health care workers and essential caregivers who work in hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes and other congregate settings caring for seniors.
The Health Department continues to be engaged with our local hospital partners and we are providing support as needed. In the coming weeks, vaccines will be available to residents of long-term care homes and retirement homes, as well as First Nation communities and urban Indigenous populations, including Metis and Inuit adults.
Later this winter, it is anticipated that area residents 70 and older will be able to be vaccinated.
“We are working with our provincial partners to ensure that the Health Department is prepared to receive, distribute and administer vaccines when they are available to us. We understand that area residents have many questions about how and when the broader public will be vaccinated. Please visit www.durham.ca/Covidvaccine often for updates regarding Covid-19 vaccines,” said D. Kyle.
Presently, the two vaccines approved for use in Canada are the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine and the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. Both are mRNA vaccines which means that the vaccines tell the cells in our body to make a protein that is found specifically on the virus that causes Covid-19.
Spike Proteins
These “spike proteins” trigger our body to start making antibodies which will protect us from becoming ill if we are exposed to the virus. Both vaccines require two doses; following the second dose, it may take another one to two weeks to achieve maximum protection against Covid-19.
“Since we don’t have information on long-term protection yet, it will be important for those that have been vaccinated to continue with public health measures such as physical distancing, wearing a mask and staying home when sick,” said Dr. Kyle.
At this time, the use of the Moderna vaccine is approved for people who are at least 18-years old and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for individuals who are at least 16-years old. The safety and effectiveness of these vaccines in children has not yet been established, however, we do expect that vaccines will be available for younger populations in the future, he added.
As a person over 70 years of age and with a compromised immune system, I spent over 8 hours on the phone January 4th, being passed from one government health office to the next, Regional, Provincial and Federal, only to find out at 9:16 p.m. that there is no plan in place at that time as to HOW we get registered to receive whatever vaccine Durham Region ends up with. As we hear today, 8 January 2021, that Toronto is already out of of vaccine at a major hub, one can only hope that with all the money being spent on top-name Administrators and planners, a smooth and easy method for everyone to register will be finalised well before the vaccines arrive in our area. Always remembering that not everyone has access to or uses the internet.
I’m with you, what is taking so long. Seems like no one knows what they are doing. At least the front line workers are being looked after, I hope. Why can pharmacies not give out the vaccine. They do a great job with flu shots. Just wondering!