The federal government is responsible for approving COVID-19 vaccines, buying them and distributing them to the provinces and territories.
The Province of Ontario distributes doses to the various cities and regions. It is also responsible for determining the sequence of who gets the vaccine. Priority is given to the people who are at highest risk: residents of long-term care homes, caregivers, health care workers, etc. This work is already underway in Ottawa.
The City of Ottawa is supporting the administering of the vaccine to residents locally. The City’s Emergency Operations Centre is mobilized and brings together Ottawa Public Health, the Ottawa Hospital, and other partner organizations to coordinate this work.
Along with continuing to follow public health guidelines, getting vaccinated is an important step people can take to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our community. Ottawa Public Health’s website includes information about vaccine safety, effectiveness, myths and misinformation and more.
Vaccines will not be mandatory, but when supply permits, everyone who is able to receive the vaccine will be strongly encouraged to do so.
The City is ready to receive and continue to administer more COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are available.