Long-term care vaccination goal revised to feb. 10

Supply delays mean Ontario won’t meet its goal of giving all nursing-home residents the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Friday. Health officials said all long-term care, high-risk retirement and First Nations elder care home residents will now receive their first shot by Feb. 10. “As a result of recent delays in shipments, the province has updated its goal of visiting these settings to administer first doses,” health officials said in briefing documents. The government said it expects to receive about 80 per cent fewer doses of the Pfizer-biontech vaccine over the first two weeks of this month, and approximately 20 per cent fewer Moderna shots this week. The government changed its plan last week because of a drop in shipments from Pfizer, saying vaccinations of longterm care staff and essential caregivers were being put on hold so doses could go to vulnerable nursing-home residents. The province said Tuesday that it will earmark shots arriving in the coming weeks for second doses that need to be administered to those who got their first shot.