THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will distribute Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives in Thunder Bay.
The hospital on Tuesday announced the collaboration.
Making the vaccine available to the people of our community is our focus and priority,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, hospital president and CEO.
“Priority populations to receive the vaccine have been announced by the province and the Hospital will follow provincial direction in the distribution and implementation plan.“
Crocker-Ellacott said they’re still working on a timeline. Ontario’s first vaccinations were given on Monday in southern Ontario.
“Although the situation is evolving, we are excited to begin the process of vaccination as soon as possible,” she said.
“Various hospitals across Ontario will begin to receive vaccine in the coming weeks, and we are working to ensure logistics, timing, assessment and administration is coordinated and seamless. This historic initiative requires extensive co-ordination and partnership, and we look forward to moving ahead.”
The roll-out of the vaccine will be done in conjunction with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. But, cautioned medical officer of health Dr. Janet DeMille, it won't happen overnight.
“The news of vaccine availability in our area is very exciting and the initial vaccine roll-out will provide valuable protection for high risk groups. The full roll out in our region will happen but it will take time,” DeMille said in a release.
“This does not mean we can let our guards down. Until the vaccines are widely available, we must all remain vigilant and follow the public health guidelines."
Up to 90,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be delivered to high-risk areas in Red-Control and Grey-Lockdown zones this month. Thunder Bay is currently in the Orange-Restrict zone. Between 35,000 and 85,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, once approved will allow the vaccination program to expand to long-term care facilities in Grey-Lockdown regions.
Additional hospital sites will be brought on board in early 2021 in the Red and Grey zones, with more than 20 expected to be distributing the vaccine by the end of January.
Thunder Bay Regional gave no indication of when vaccinations may start to be distributed in Thunder Bay and the rest of the region, but the initial expansion of locations to administer the Moderna vaccine would include long-term care facilities, retirement homes, public health units and other care settings for seniors.
Thunder Bay's Soutbridge Roseview nursing home has experienced a major COVID-19 outbreak, resulting in the death of 12 residents.
