VACCINE ROLLOUT PROGRESSING WELL

As of March 3, Ontario has given 754,419 COVID-19 vaccinations with 27,398 daily inoculations being given. This means that Ontario has administered more vaccines than any other province in the country.

We have reached our goal with over 167,000 doses being given to long-term care and retirement home residents and first-dose vaccinations offers to all staff and essential caregivers have been made.

It was very encouraging news that Health Canada has now approved the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. With its approval, it is my hope this will lead to a more reliable and consistent vaccine supply.

As the province begins to receive these, and other new vaccine shipments, we are continuing to expand our capacity for Phase Two of our vaccination rollout, which is expected to begin in April 2021. Public health units have developed plans to operate mass immunization clinics; I was pleased that Halton Region released its plan for mass immunization in Milton at the FirstOntario Arts Centre.

The province continues to work closely with our healthcare partners to develop an integrated regional vaccine plan based on our Ethical Framework and prioritized populations. More information will be made available for you about when and how you can receive a vaccine when your turn comes. To stay informed about Ontario’s Vaccine plan, please visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca.

I cannot thank our Public Health, Paramedic Services, hospital teams and staff enough for their dedication to help get us ready.

To support the next phase of this vaccine rollout, Ontario is developing an online booking system that is expected to be online by March 15. A customer service desk will be made available for those who are unable to book an appointment through the online tool. Details will be provided on this over the coming weeks.

With more vaccinations being given, it remains imperative that you keep following all public health advice: avoid non-essential travel and stay at home as much as possible, avoid social gatherings, and limit close contract to those in your household.