THUNDER BAY – Greg Tinlsey says it would only take Janzen's Pharmacy a matter of hours to be able to start administering COVID-19 vaccines.
It's just a matter of getting the OK from the province.
Beginning last Wednesday, select pharmacies in Kingston, Lennox and Addington, Toronto and Windsor-Essex public health units were given the go-ahead to start booking appointments to deliver the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to those aged 60 to 64.
Thunder Bay was not on that list, despite the fact the district has one of the highest per capita case counts in the province, with a seven-day rolling count of 239 cases per 100,000 people after 40 more cases were announced on Thursday.
Tinsley said they’re ready and willing to take part in the program if and when it expands to Northwestern Ontario.
“I think the majority of pharmacies in Thunder Bay are prepared at any time. We obviously want to get it to our most vulnerable population. Historically Janzen’s does house calls, that kind of thing, so there might be an avenue there,” he said.
Tinsley, a nurse practitioner, said it was disappointing and a bit frustrating to learn Thunder Bay was not on the initial list, but added they are in talk with public health officials and have offered to open their doors to high-risk people in an effort to aid the local vaccination process.
“Unfortunately, nothing has materialized up here yet,” he said.
“Our seven-day historical average is much higher now than it ever has been. In addition, we have more cases than almost any other district per 100,000 population. Ideally, we’d like to see more vaccine up here. I think most clinics and pharmacies would love to get it to their patients. We’re just not there yet,” Tinsley said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he is pushing for more vaccines to be delivered to Ontario.
"We need the federal government to step up, and ensure we get enough doses," he said on Thursday at a news conference in Hamilton, adding more than 400,000 appointments have been booked through the provincial online portal, which launched on Monday.
