Niagara’s top doctor wants public health-led vaccination in region’s long-term care homes

Niagara’s acting medical officer of health wants the province to allow public health to lead a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the region’s long-term care homes.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji says public health works with long-term care and retirement homes every year the achieve “near 100 per cent” vaccinations for influenza. He says the same could be done with the COVID-19 vaccine.

We urge @ONgov: prioritize residents of LTCH/RH in #Niagara for a #PublicHealth-led vaccination campaign. @NRPublicHealth works with LTCH/RH every year & achieves near 100% vaccination for #influenza. We can do the same for #COVID19. Each day this is delayed, lives are lost. 3/3

— Mustafa Hirji (@mustafahirji) January 5, 2021

On Tuesday, the region reported 25 active outbreaks of the virus in long-term care and retirement homes. 33 residents have died of COVID-19 in just the last two weeks.

The provincial government has been criticized for what’s being seen as a slow roll-out of vaccinations.

On Tuesday, it announced that residents and workers of long-term care homes in hotspots would be vaccinated by Jan. 21.

Niagara is not included in that list of places, something Hirji called “deeply disappointing.”