Vaccine rollout in long term care homes will be “short-order” medical officer says

Journal Staff COVID-19 vaccines will be available at doctors offices, pharmacies and other specialized clinics eventually, Lambton Public Health said today.

Journal Staff

COVID-19 vaccines will be available at doctors offices, pharmacies and other specialized clinics eventually, Lambton Public Health said today.

Sarnia-Lambton’s first batch of 500 Moderna vaccines will be administered in the coming days at local long term care homes hardest hit by the pandemic, said Dr. Sudit Ranade. More are expected next week.

“We know that we’re going to be able to get to all the long term and retirement homes,” said Ranade during the Lambton Public Health live stream Tuesday. “It’s going to be very short-order I think, so almost every day there will be a new home that we’re doing.”

The first shipments of vaccines are part of phase one, which focuses on residents and staff at long term and retirement settings for seniors, healthcare workers at hospitals, elders in First Nations residences, and adult recipients of home healthcare. 

“That’s where we’re going to focus our immediate effort at the beginning, then we’re going to move on.”

In Phase two, seniors ages 80 and up, first responders, teachers and food production workers will be eligible for the vaccine. But, Ranade noted, the provincially-determined list of essential workers may change.

As more of the vaccines become available to the province, the process will be laid out for everyone else to get the shot, Ranade explained. Distribution will be appointment-based so there aren’t long line-ups with the potential to spread COVID-19. 

But when the vaccine is received masks and social distancing will still be advised, he added.

“What we can not say yet… is this vaccine can definitively stop transmission.”

Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the two shots approved by Health Canada so far, require two doses to be most effective. Ideally recipients of the first shot get the second dose within a month, but up to 42 days between vaccines is okay, Ranade said. Data suggests longer than 42 days is also acceptable for protection against COVID-19, he added. 

“The goal here is to have enough vaccines to give everyone their vaccine on time.”

More details and updates are available at www.getthevaccine.ca.