Vaccination plan fails to inspire confidence

Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government has, let’s say, a unique way of announcing important things.

Take the one last week where it said the next wave of COVID-19 vaccinations will be rolled out by midmarch. That’s the one aimed at people older than 80; all Indigenous adults; staff, residents and essential caregivers in retirement homes and seniors congregate care settings; adult chronic-care home patients; and some health-care staff identified as priority by the province.

Numerous family doctors across the province say they were surprised Friday when the government identified them as the ones who would contact people older than 80 to arrange vaccinations.

That was the first they’d heard of it, they said, as their staff braced to start taking calls from older patients wanting to be sure their names are on the list.

That brings back memories of how the government handled the reopening of daycares last June. It sprang the news a week earlier than expected, at a news conference, and left the impression doors would open promptly.

That left it to daycare operators to explain to anxious parents that no, they would actually need three weeks to plan for a reopening and somehow make it work as they faced higher costs and took in fewer children.

But that was then, and this is now.

It’s no longer good enough for Ford’s government to act like the pandemic has caught it by surprise. And yet, when an urgent decision has to be made — like sending Ontario back into strict lockdown — the government gets all casual about it.

Remember? Back in December, when COVID-19 cases across Ontario were skyrocketing and quick action was needed to curtail the spread of the coronavirus? The province announced a lockdown on Dec. 21 — but said it wouldn’t kick in until Dec. 26, Boxing Day. That gave everyone one last chance to squeeze in one of those Christmas gatherings that bring the family together and, these days, make public health experts cringe.

Those officials warned at the time people would be sharing more than a drink over the holidays, they would also be circulating the virus among themselves. Sure enough, two weeks later Niagara’s caseload had grown by about 33 per cent.

Mid-march is only a few weeks away, when that next stage of vaccinations is supposed to kick in. Yet on Monday, in response to questions from a Toronto Star reporter, a government spokesperson said “planning is currently underway to determine how best to contact” those people older than 80 waiting to get their vaccination.

Posting notices on a website isn’t good enough; many people, and not only seniors, aren’t comfortable getting their information that way, or maybe don’t have the ability to do it on their own.

And people are nervous, especially elderly people who, experience shows, are more prone to serious illness or death if they contract COVID-19. Compounding that, there are more transmissible variants in the air now, including in Niagara where six variant cases had been detected as of Monday.

The government has said it will be up to hospitals, family doctors, pharmacies and public health staff to provide the 10,000 daily donations it hopes to achieve.

Vaccine delivery was stalled for a few weeks, but new shipments are arriving again. A quick delivery plan is needed to get needles into arms. And not just a quick plan, but a coherent one. Tossing ideas out there that aren’t fully formed does little to inspire confidence, especially in these days of uncertainty.