Seniors at home won't be left out of vaccine plan, Quebec vows
Prior to vaccinating seniors who live at home, Quebec's health department will launch a major publicity campaign to make sure the elderly know where and when they will be inoculated against COVID -19.
To ensure no senior is forgotten, local health authorities will team up with community organizations that are in regular contact with isolated seniors, such as Meals on Wheels, said Christine Touchette, director of front-line integrated services at the CIUSSS West-central Montreal.
Some Montreal seniors have no family in the city and may need help making an appointment to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
Seniors will be able to book an appointment in their neighbourhood by calling a central telephone number or visiting Clic Santé, a website Quebecers use to book an appointment for the flu vaccine.
There's not enough staff to contact hundreds of thousands of seniors by phone, Touchette added.
According to the 2016 Canadian census, there are about 42,815 people age 75 and older living in the area covered by the CIUSSS West-central Montreal.
Although Pfizer announced last week that it is reducing the number of doses delivered to Canada over the next month, the province still plans to begin vaccinating seniors age 80 and older the week of Feb. 15, according to Marjorie Larouche, a spokesperson for the health department.
Local health authorities are preparing to open large vaccination sites across Montreal and are waiting for the provincial health ministry to sign off on the proposed locations.
“It's coming,” Touchette said of the vaccine. “I know people are eager and impatient. We're trying to do it as fast as we can, that's for sure.”
She hopes seniors will be able to make appointments for both of their vaccinations, but said that will depend on how many doses of the Pfizer-biontech and Moderna vaccines are available.
The vast majority of seniors are keen to be vaccinated, Touchette believes. “If we look at our longterm care residents, the consent has been more than 75 per cent,” she said.
Everyone will have a designated appointment time, in order to avoid long lineups, which were frequent during the H1N1 vaccination campaign in 2009.
There are no plans to have seniors vaccinated in pharmacies, because the pharmaceutical companies have put restrictions on how often the vaccines can be moved, Touchette said.
Some Quebecers with mobility problems, or other severe health issues, could be vaccinated at home, but the health ministry hasn't finalized those plans.
Quebec has already vaccinated 80 per cent of the 40,000 seniors in CHSLDS and more than 100,000 health-care workers. As of Wednesday, about 175,000 Quebecers have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccinations will begin for 136,000 Quebecers who live in private seniors' homes starting on Jan. 25.
There are about 418,000 seniors 80 and older in the province, and about 576,000 between 70 and 79, according to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec.
People in their 50s and 60s will likely receive their first vaccination in late spring or early summer, as the number of available doses ramps up.
Anyone who wants a vaccine should be able to be inoculated by the end of September, Touchette estimated.