This is an update from the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) dated April 1, 2021
As announced by the Province earlier today, we will enter a provincewide shutdown effective 12:01 am on Saturday. Enforcement staff are reviewing the parameters of the restrictions imposed by the Province and are conferring with Dr. Etches and the Ottawa Public Health (OPH) team to understand the full scope of what a shutdown means for Ottawa. Additional information will be posted on ottawa.ca shortly.
We also learned today that the Province is expanding pharmacy and primary care locations for COVID-19 vaccinations. Thirty-four pharmacies in Ottawa will begin providing AstraZeneca vaccinations to Ottawa residents age 55 and older. Additional information as well as participating locations can be found on the Province of Ontario website.
These vaccinations are separate from OPH and the City of Ottawa’s vaccination roll-out. Residents are asked to call participating pharmacies directly to book or the Province of Ontario Vaccination Information Line at 1-888-999-6488 if they have questions on the pharmacy vaccination program.
In addition, the Province confirmed that Ottawa will receive more than 11,000 doses of AstraZeneca next week, which will be distributed to select Community Health Centres and Family Health Teams. Additional information, including locations and booking details, will be available shortly.
On Monday, all residents age 70 and older (born in or before 1951) became eligible under the provincial framework to receive a vaccine. As you are aware, there was tremendous demand for appointments which resulted in all available appointments at our community clinics being filled until April 7th. We continue to work diligently with the Province to secure more vaccine supply and open new appointments in the Provincial Booking System. Eligible residents waiting to book an appointment are encouraged to follow the City of Ottawa and OPH social media channels in the coming days.
Also on Monday, we launched rural pop-up clinics for residents age 70 and older living in Wards 5 (West Carleton-March), 19 (Cumberland), 20 (Osgoode), and 21 (Rideau-Goulbourn). All the remaining rural pop-up clinics are full, with the exception of R. J. Kennedy Arena. Eligible residents can call 613-691-5505 to book an appointment (select option 2 for designated rural communities).
In addition, as was announced yesterday, adult recipients of chronic home health care living anywhere in Ottawa can book an appointment at the Canterbury pop-up clinic or any of the City’s other pop-up clinics. Eligible residents or their caregivers can call 613-691-5505 to confirm eligibility and book an appointment.
We also recognize that there are Ottawa residents who are eligible for COVID-19 immunization but are unable to travel to a vaccine clinic because of issues of frailty or medical issues. We are actively working on a solution and will share an update as soon as possible.
Also new this week, patient-facing high-priority health care workers such as opticians, chiropractors, and psychologists are now able to pre-register for a vaccination appointment. Specific faith leaders who, as part of their regular role, are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 are also now eligible to pre-register. Eligible residents are encouraged to visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca to confirm eligibility and pre-register.
We continue to plan for Ottawa’s Phase 2 vaccination rollout in accordance with the Province’s three-phase plan while also working with partners to provide vaccines to health care workers, Indigenous adults (16+), eligible residents in high-priority neighbourhoods and individuals residing in other congregate care settings for seniors, including high risk shelters. We are ready to ramp up capacity as soon as we receive additional vaccine supply. To date, more than 145,000 doses have been administered in Ottawa. Visit OPH’s COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard for up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccinations in Ottawa.
The EOC has also updated its FAQs respecting COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The updated document is attached and indicates where information has been updated since March 26th, when this resource was last circulated to Members of Council. This new information will be posted on ottawa.ca shortly. Please continue to refer to these FAQs, and those available on OPH’s website, to respond to resident inquiries. For any new questions, please refer to the Councilor Liaison line at councillorliaisonduconseil@ottawa.ca, which monitors trends in questions to inform future iterations of the FAQs.
On restrictions, our community has been here before. We know how to fight back against the virus by following public health guidelines. Vaccines also play an essential role and that is why our vaccination clinics will continue to operate through the Easter weekend to get shots in arms as soon as possible.
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