The Ontario government announced that it is ready to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are received, beginning with vaccinating vulnerable populations and those who care for them.
“We must deploy these first shipments of a safe and effective vaccine where they will make the most impact and save lives. That means vaccinating our vulnerable seniors and those who care for them as soon as possible,” said Premier Ford. “Until then, we are asking people to look out for their elderly loved ones and protect themselves by continuing to follow the public health measures.”
Groups receiving the early vaccine doses in the first few months of the Ontario immunization program will include:
- Residents, staff, essential caregivers, and other employees of congregate living settings (e.g., long-term care homes and retirement homes) that provide care for seniors as they are at higher risk of infection and serious illness from COVID-19
- Health care workers, including hospital employees, other staff who work or study in hospitals, and other health care personnel
- Adults in Indigenous communities, including remote communities where risk of transmission is high
- Adult recipients of chronic home health care
Ontario will also be prioritizing the rollout of the vaccine in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection, including those in the Red-Control and Lockdown zones, the government said in a media statement. The immunization program will focus on healthcare workers and the most vulnerable populations in those regions.
At first, COVID-19 vaccines are expected to only be available for non-pregnant adults over the age of 18 years old based on early clinical trials. As further information becomes available from clinical trials and from Health Canada approvals, the groups for which the vaccines are authorized for use could change, added officials.
Ontario’s approach is based on evidence available, the guidance of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, as well as recommendations from the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, according to officials.
Last month the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released comprehensive and evidence-informed preliminary guidance on key populations for early COVID-19 immunization in Canada.
Those at high risk for severe illness and death, those most likely to transmit to those at high-risk and workers essential to COVID-19 response, essential services for the functioning of society, and those in living or working conditions with elevated risk for infection or disproportionate consequences, including Indigenous communities were the key populations identified by NACI for early COVID-19 immunization.
Stage 2 of the vaccine rollout was to include health care workers not part of the initial distribution, residents and staff of all other congregate settings (e.g., quarters for migrant workers, correctional facilities, homeless shelters) and essential workers – (e.g., police, firefighters, food production), according to NACI recommendations.
However the final decision rested with the provincial governments.
NACI further recommended remaining doses on-site be provided to individuals in the groups recommended in Stage 2 if doses were used for a group recommended in Stage 1 but cannot be relocated to another setting for other groups recommended in Stage 1 in order to minimize the risk of vaccine wastage and maximize the benefits of vaccination.
