City plans for second doses as vaccine supply shrinks
City health and emergency officials have outlined their strategies to deliver a second dose of vaccine to priority groups as the supply gets shut down.
Ottawa's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, and the city's the general manager of emergency and protective services, Anthony Di Monte, spoke to reporters Wednesday following news that Canada would receive no Pfizer vaccine doses in the week of Jan. 25.
“This means that the city will have fewer doses than originally anticipated in the next few weeks,” Di Monte.
According to data published Wednesday, the city has received 25,350 doses so far and has administered 21,951. It received 5,850 doses on Jan. 12 and 2,925 on Monday.
The city's emergency operations centre and the Ottawa Hospital are working to vaccinate priority groups according to Ontario's framework, with long-term care residents at the top of the list, Di Monte said.
This week's vaccine supply will be used to administer second doses to ensure those who received their first doses become immunized.
As of last Friday, all eligible LTC residents in Ottawa's 28 homes had received their first dose, far ahead of the provincial goal of Feb. 15. One high-risk retirement home and one congregate setting with older adults have also been prioritized.
Pfizer recommends a second “booster” shot be administered 21 days after the first shot to be fully effective. To cope with the vaccine shortage, the window to receive the second dose has been extended in accordance with the latest recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
When vaccine supplies are limited or shipments are uncertain, the advisory committee has recommended that the number of people who get the benefit from the vaccine can be maximized by proceeding with the first dose and going ahead with the second dose up to 42 days later, Etches said.
“We currently don't have data on the maximum time between doses. But, for other vaccinations when the schedule is interrupted, it doesn't require restarting the series (of doses).”
Long-term care (LTC) and highrisk retirement home residents and their essential caregivers who have already received their first doses will receive their second doses in 21 to 27 days.
LTC home staff who were vaccinated in LTC homes at the same time as residents will follow the same schedule. All other recipients must receive their second dose after 21 days and before 42 days.
More direction is expected from the province shortly. The city's vaccine delivery team is to present a technical briefing to city council on Monday, Di Monte said.
“Depending on the vaccine supply we receive from the province, which we know will be minimal in the next few weeks, we will then shift our focus to the high-risk retirement homes,” he said. However, this will be a challenge until a significant amount of vaccine
arrives, he said.
Although Ottawa still qualifies as a “red zone,” Etches said there were positive signs. The test positivity rate has dropped to 3.5 per cent this week from four last week, fewer people are testing positive and levels of COVID-19 detected in waste water have dropped.
But the number of outbreaks continues to grow and the level of community transmission remains high. Keeping COVID -19 manageable will take many more months, she warned.
“We are certainly not out of the woods,” Di Monte said.
Since last Thursday, the city's bylaw team has received more than 200 requests for services regarding Ontario's stay-at-home orders, including requests for information and complaints about social gatherings, the openings of non-essential businesses and people not following the provincial order, Di Monte said.
A large numbers of calls were unfounded. Bylaw officers laid five charges, he said: four related to indoor social activities in private homes and one for opening a non-essential business.
Officers also gave out five verbal warnings: two for mask issues, two for unauthorized gatherings and one for opening a non-essential business.