Hamilton gets a raw deal on LTC vaccinations

Why on earth would Hamilton be left out of the Ontario government’s plan to fast-track vaccinations in hot-zone long-term-care facilities?

When the vaccination campaign was announced earlier this week, this city was conspicuous by its absence. There are currently five regional health jurisdictions in the so-called “grey-lockdown phase” — Toronto, Peel, York, Windsor-Essex and Hamilton.

Of the five, only Hamilton was excluded from the program which aims to have all LTC residents, health-care workers and essential workers in “priority regions” vaccinated by Jan. 21.

Why was this city excluded? Responding to that question, provincial officials have said that COVID transmission rates are higher in the other four zones. Also, the included regions “are acting as pilots to test the logistics of the administration of the Moderna vaccine.”

The Moderna vaccine does not require the deepcold storage needed for the Pfizer vaccine. Due to that the Moderna vaccine is easier to transport which makes it the favoured option for long-termcare residents who might have trouble getting to off-site clinics where the Pfizer vaccine is administered.

Later, the province also made reference to the fact that the other regions have been in grey-lockdown longer than Hamilton. Why that should matter is anyone’s guess.

As for the matter of transmission rates, the province’s claim may be true but it hard to see how that relates to COVID spreading like wildfire through grey-zone LTC facilities, and for that matter to retirement homes across the province.

We are not the only ones mystified by this decision. Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions said: “I don’t understand why Hamilton would have been left out ... You’ve got numerous homes in outbreak ... I do not understand why you would not be a priority ... That is certainly something that the province should reconsider.”

Reconsideration does not appear to be in the cards at this point, although it’s fair to note the province announced late Friday a small amount of Moderna vaccine will arrive Monday.

Asked what Hamilton’s transmission rate would need to be for it to be included in the priority campaign, and whether or not the situation in LTC homes here was considered, provincial officials did not respond, saying they needed more time to get answers.

NDP Leader and Hamilton MPP Andrea Horwath was angry, calling the decision “a travesty,” adding: “It is going to lead to more spread of the virus in long-term-care homes. It’s going to mean more deaths.”

It is hard to disagree with that assessment. A tool exists to significantly improve things in LTC homes where COVID-19 is spreading, well beyond crisis proportions, and Hamilton is excluded from using that tool while four other major grey-zone centres are included.

Given that the Moderna vaccine has significant advantages over the Pfizer version, at least for use in congregate settings like retirement residences, why would Hamilton not have the same opportunities as other grey-zone cities? To date, there is no credible and convincing answer to that question.

It is fair to admit that sometimes in the past, Hamilton has suffered from a persecution complex. Our proximity to Toronto, which seems to get inordinate attention, is one reason. Sometimes collective insecurity might play a role. But sometimes, a raw deal is just that, and that is exactly what this feels like.