Province adjusts vaccine rollout due to shipment delays

THUNDER BAY - With the delay in shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the provincial government is revising its vaccine rollout plan to ensure the most vulnerable people in the province can be immunized.

During a media briefing from Queen’s Park on Monday, Premier Doug Ford said he has been advised by the federal government that Ontario will not receive any shipments of the Pfizer vaccine for the week of Jan. 25.

“We can’t take vaccine shipments for granted,” he said. “We are using every single vaccine we can to protect our most vulnerable, but delivery delays are forcing us to be more careful and cautious. This means saving second dose for the most frail.”

In the first weeks of February, Ontario will only receive 26,000 doses of the vaccine and there have been no allocations for the weeks of Feb. 8 and Feb. 15 at this time.

The delay in vaccine shipments from Pfizer is due to the company scaling up production at its European manufacturing plant.

In order to ensure those who have received the first vaccination will receive the required second shot, the province will maintain the maximum interval of 21 to 27 days for long-term care, retirement and First Nations elder care home residents and up to 42 days between the two doses for all other groups.

"Due to the delay in the next shipment of Pfizer vaccine doses, we are ensuring all available supplies are redirected to those who need them most: our residents in long-term care and retirement homes," Ford said.

"I know this will mean that some people may have to reschedule their vaccine appointments, but it is critical that our most vulnerable seniors receive the protection they need as soon as possible."

The province is still planning to administer first doses to residents in all long-term care homes across the province by Feb. 5, depending on delivery dates of the vaccine in the first week of February.

Doses of the Moderna vaccine will be reallocated to 14 public health units to ensure vaccines are administered at each long-term care home in the province.

Vaccinations in remote northern and First Nation communities will continue. To date, 760 doses have been delivered by Ornge to Sioux Lookout, with 568 doses administered by Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre and 45 doses administered by Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority.

Ornge has also delivered 680 doses to communities across James Bay Coast, with 575 doses administered or scheduled to be administered to remote fly-in First Nations communities.

Ornge will also be moving forward with Operation Remote Immunity in February when it will be vaccinating residents in 31 fly-in communities across Northwestern Ontario.

According to Ford, the province is still hoping to be able to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to any Ontarian who wishes to receive one by the summer.

“As soon as there is certainty in deliveries and we can start receiving regular shipments, it will be full steam ahead,” he said. “We have the capacity to vaccinate nearly 40,000 people per day and we are working to triple that capacity pending federal government supply.”