Hamilton Health Sciences, Halton Healthcare to get COVID-19 vaccine before year’s end

Hamilton Health Sciences and Halton Healthcare are among the 17 hospital sites receiving the next wave COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario.

The province says it is expecting to receive up to 90,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses in the next two weeks to continue vaccinating health care workers and essential caregivers in hospitals, long-term care homes, and retirement homes.

In addition to UHN and The Ottawa Hospital, the following 17 sites will be receiving the vaccines:

• Halton Healthcare
• Hamilton Health Sciences
• William Osler Health System
• Trillium Health Partners
• Southlake Regional Health Centre
• Mackenzie Health
• Humber River Hospital
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Toronto East Health Network
• Unity Health Toronto
• Scarborough Health Network
• Lakeridge Health
• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
• Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
• Windsor Regional Hospital
• London Health Sciences Centre
• Grand River Hospital

The city says Hamilton Public Health Services is working with Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Primary Care Physicians and Hamilton Paramedic Services to make the city’s first COVID-19 vaccination clinic for long-term care employees.

According to the release, the first clinic will only be by scheduled appointments for those contacted by officials.

As part of the pilot project, Toronto’s UHN and The Ottawa Hospital have given over 2,300 doses and aim to vaccinate over 2,500 health care workers.

“Our guiding priority is to ensure frontline health care workers and vulnerable populations receive the vaccine in this initial phase to ensure they are protected,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.

“As the supply of available dosages increases and is delivered to Ontario, we will be prepared to provide the vaccine in communities across the province.”

Ontario is also expecting to receive the Moderna vaccine after it is approved by Health Canada which will allow vaccines to be given onsite long-term care homes, retirement homes, and remote Indigenous communities.

More hospital sites in the province will get the Pfizer vaccine in early 2021.

“This expanded distribution list is fantastic news and allows us to continue to test and refine our vaccination roll-out plan,” said General Rick Hillier.

“This is the next important step that gets us ready for all of Ontario in 2021.”

The vaccine is expected to become available for more people in the winter and spring of the new year.