To get the current information for Ottawa, refer to Ottawa Public Health website on the Vaccine.
The Province of Ontario’s Plan for the Vaccine
PHASE 1
Limited doses of the vaccine available for health care workers in hospitals, long-term care homes and retirement homes, other congregate care settings and remote Indigenous communities
Started: December 15, 2020
PHASE 2
Increasing stock of vaccines, available to all health care workers, residents in long-term care homes, retirement homes, home care patients with chronic conditions and additional Indigenous communities
Starting: This winter
PHASE 3
Vaccines available widely across Ontario for anyone who wants to be immunized
Starting: When vaccines and doses are available
| Ottawa’s mobile vaccination teams: Working together to save lives January 13, 2021 Starting the process of vaccinating Ottawa residents against COVID-19 is a major milestone in the fight against COVID-19. During the first phase of the vaccination program, the priority is vaccinating the people most vulnerable to COVID-19: the residents of long-term care homes, essential caregivers and others working in long-term care. Ottawa is the first municipality in Ontario to move the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from its main storage point and bring it to another location to administer the vaccine. Since the vaccine must be stored at extremely cold temperatures, this is no simple task. The City, Ottawa Public Health, the Ottawa Paramedic Service and the Ottawa Hospital are working together to meet the challenge. In City-run homes, staff nurses have been working with the Ottawa Hospital to administer the vaccine, while in many privately run homes, it’s the Ottawa Paramedic Service that’s taking the lead. The City of Ottawa has brought together mobile vaccination teams that include paramedics specially trained to transport, dilute and administer the vaccine safely and efficiently and provide patient care. An Ottawa Public Health clerk is also part of each team. Each of the paramedics has a different role to play to ensure patient safety as the teams administer these long-awaited vaccines. Two paramedics provide the injections and the third stays with the resident for 15 minutes after the injection to monitor for any reactions. Among the three, one takes on a leadership function. They monitor the radio and can request any support needed at a moment’s notice. |
