WDG Public Health to provide doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to priority groups while urging other residents to remain patient and socially-distanced
UPDATE: On Tuesday at 9 a.m. WDG Public Health received its first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations are slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6 with a partial day of vaccinations. The full regional vaccine program will begin on Thursday, Jan. 7.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise as the province remains in lockdown, the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Public Health unit maintains that it will administer the Pfizer vaccine as soon as it arrives in the city.
The first batch was supposed to arrive on Jan. 4 so that the vaccination program could proceed the following day. Due to unexpected delays, it will instead arrive “as late as Friday with no advance notice of arrival,” according to a WDG Public Health news release.
According to the Government of Ontario, the vaccination program includes administering doses to priority groups within the province first, including healthcare workers, essential caregivers, adult recipients of chronic home health care, and adults in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit populations where infection can have disproportionate consequences.
“[The delay] is obviously a disappointment,” said WDG’s Medical Officer of Health and CEO Dr. Nicola Mercer in the release.
“Public Health has been preparing to begin vaccinating our region against COVID-19 for months. While we can all recognize this is a complex logistical challenge, I share the frustration of everyone in the region at this delay. I want to assure residents of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph that Public Health remains ready to administer the vaccine as soon as it arrives.”
Those eligible to receive the dose when the first batch arrives will be contacted by WDG Public Health to set up an appointment. The office urges residents not to call their healthcare provider or Public Health about the vaccine’s availability.
Due to the Pfizer vaccine’s transportation and storage requirements, vaccinations will initially be limited to the WDG Public Health office. However, a Public Health news release stated that “as other vaccines become available, or the Pfizer vaccine is able to be moved, the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available at other locations.”
In the meantime, WDG Public Health states that all residents must continue following COVID-19 guidelines until the vaccine becomes widely available as there is currently no data regarding COVID-19 transmission from vaccinated individuals, and the vaccine “takes time” to develop its protective effects.
“This is the time for patience,” said Dr. Mercer.
“It will take several months before the vaccine is available to all of us who want it. In the meantime, we must all continue to follow the public health measures we know will keep everyone safe: gathering with only those you live with, wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distancing of six feet and practicing good hand hygiene. We want to make sure everyone gets safely to the end of this pandemic together.”
WDG Public Health states it will continue to “keep you up to date on local vaccine information as it becomes available to share.”
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