The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should be in Simcoe County in the next two weeks.
Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) is on the list of 17 hospital sites promised COVID vaccines from the province today.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s red-zone designation moved it up the priority list and is the reason the vaccine will make its way to the area by the end of the month.
“Ontario is expecting to receive up to 90,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses from the federal government before the end of the year to continue vaccinating health care workers and essential caregivers who work in hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes and other congregate settings caring for seniors,” states a news release issued by the Ontario government this morning.
The vaccine will be going to hospitals in Toronto and Ottawa, as well as Hamilton, London, Windsor, and the GTA.
Newmarket’s Southlake Regional Health Centre is also on the list to receive doses by year’s end.
According to the province’s news release, the sites that will receive the vaccine are already equipped with the equipment necessary to safely store it at minus-70 degrees Celsius.
“Since this vaccine cannot be transferred beyond the initial delivery location at this time, vaccinations will continue to be administered to health-care workers in high-risk settings first, such as long-term care homes and hospitals,” stated the news release.
The province’s pilot project with Toronto and Ottawa hospitals has administered 2,300 doses of the vaccine.
The Moderna vaccine is also expected to arrive in Ontario soon, and will be used in long-term care homes in lockdown areas, as it is more transportable than the Pfizer vaccine.
Later today, Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, is hosting a media briefing with RVH president and CEO Janice Skot and Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman to provide an update on the local plans for COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
BarrieToday will have more on this story this afternoon.
