Premier taps Hillier to lead vaccine task force

Saying he needed a “general” at the helm the province's rollout of anticipated novel coronavirus vaccines, Premier Doug Ford announced Monday Gen. Rick Hillier will lead a newly struck task force to advise the province on the “monumental” job ahead.

Ford pointed to “early signs of success” on the vaccine front, with the first doses expected to be available in early 2021.

The “monumental undertaking” of distributing vaccines will present a “logistical challenge,” Ford said, “that risks being a logistical nightmare.”

The task force will advise the province on several fronts, including the delivery of “a phased vaccination program that initially prioritizes vulnerable populations and follows with mass immunization,” and with “clinical guidance on vaccine administration and surveillance of vaccine uptake.”

Ford said Hillier, former chief of the defence staff for the Canadian Forces, will provide “military precision” as chair of the Ministers' COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force. According to a statement, the task force will advise the province on the development and implementation of an immunization program, “including the ethical, timely and effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario.”

Ford said the province is working with federal counterparts in planning the early rollout of the vaccine program with vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

“We still have a long way to go, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Ford said as the province reported a record-high daily count of 1,589 new confirmed cases Monday, including 535 in Peel and 336 in Toronto on the day both regions moved into lockdown.

Deputy Premier and Health Minister Christine Elliott announced Monday that Dr. David Williams has agreed to remain on as Ontario's chief medical officer of health, a role he has held for five years, with his tenure set to expire in February.

A motion to reappoint Williams was tabled Monday morning, and if accepted his term will be extended until Sept. 1, 2021.

“Now more than ever, we need experienced, stable leadership,” Elliott said.

Elliott warned Monday the spread of COVID-19 “has reached a critical point.”

There are 13,004 active cases provincewide, another record high since the outset of the pandemic.

Of 19 deaths reported in Ontario Monday, 11 were residents of longterm care. One was a man in his 20s, according to provincial data.

Ottawa reported one new death and 40 new cases Monday.

The region remains unchanged in the orange “restrict” zone, with “intermediate measures,” according to the provincial COVID-19 response framework.

Active cases continue to decline, with 347 active cases in Ottawa, down from 365 on Sunday.

There are fewer patients in Ottawa hospitals as well, with 30 people being treated in hospital and two of those in intensive care, according to the latest data.

Outbreaks have remained relatively stable with 21 in health-care settings and six in school settings.

There have been 367 deaths attributed to coronavirus in Ottawa.