Vaccination efforts against COVID-19 are ramping up with a third drug approved for use in Canada.
Health Canada has given the green light to the AstraZeneca vaccine, with 20-million doses on pre-order.
While the newest drug is said to be relatively cheap and easy to store, but less effective than either the Pfizer or Moderna.
Two other vaccines are still under review, including the single-dose drug from Johnson and Johnson.
Meantime, Public Health is hoping that by day’s end, every willing and eligible long term care resident in Chatham-Kent will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Colby says hundreds of long term care staff and essential caregivers have received their first dose at the new mass vaccination clinic this week.
“All of our highest risk people done following the provincial prioritization, and look forward to a time when we have enough vaccine that we won’t have to prioritize at all, we’ll be able to vaccinate everyone” Dr. Colby says.
Outreach teams have been working in tandem with the mass vaccination clinic this week as well.
“Our outreach teams to do our booster shots, second dose of the COVID vaccine, to the residents of long term care homes, high-risk retirement homes, and the Indigenous Elder Care Centre at Moravian on the Thames,” Dr. Colby says. “That’s all being done this week as well as the Bradley Centre clinic running full-tilt.”
Dr. Colby says there will be some long term care residents who declined the shot in the first round and may have changed their minds, and are now catching up.
While he can’t get into specific details about upcoming vaccine shipments, Dr. Colby says all indicators point to vaccine supply holding steady or increasing in the coming weeks.