Windsor-essex pharmacies to be part of vaccination pilot project
Windsor-essex is one of three regions in Ontario where a pilot project will be launched to allow COVID-19 vaccinations at pharmacies.
“So far, what we know is that the ministry (of health) is working directly with the pharmacists' association,” said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the region's medical officer of health.
“Vaccines will be going directly to pharmacies in the region.”
The Ontario Pharmacists Association announced the project on Wednesday, and the Windsor-essex County Health Unit confirmed it on Thursday.
Details about the project are still being worked out, but Ahmed said some local pharmacies could receive the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine as soon as next week.
How much vaccine will be available, the specific pharmacy locations where it will be administered, and who will be able to receive it have all yet to be determined.
Ahmed noted that the Astrazeneca vaccine is recommended for individuals 65 years of age and younger. “I'm anticipating that it will be an age-based criteria, to make it easier for scheduling and get the vaccine out as quickly as possible,” Ahmed said.
Pharmacies that want to volunteer for the project will need to meet certain conditions, Ahmed said, such as previously participating in the universal influenza immunization program, fulfilling policy and procedure requirements, and having their fridge units inspected.
“It is pretty significant,”
Ahmed said. “As we've said, we want to use all the existing channels ... recognizing the supply challenges.”
Health units in Toronto and the Kingston area have also been selected for the pilot project.
Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said agreements have been signed that will eventually allow 4,600 pharmacy locations across the province to provide COVID-19 vaccinations.
Justin Bates, president of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, hailed the development as a milestone, with the project starting on a limited basis and scaling up as more vaccine becomes available.
Meanwhile, vaccination appointments continue at the WFCU Centre for pre-registered Windsor-essex residents ages 80 and older.
Health unit CEO and chief nursing officer Theresa Marentette said 168 doses of the vaccine were administered at the WFCU Centre on Wednesday.
Local COVID-19 numbers have been showing improvement in recent weeks.
Thursday's update from the health unit reported an increase of 19 cases in Windsor-essex.
Ahmed said that for a region to go from “red” status to “orange” status under the Ontario COVID-19 response framework, the daily number of new cases needs to be 23 or less, on average.
“That's a kind of rough marker,” Ahmed said.
The Windsor-essex region has had a total of 13,066 cases of COVID-19 to date, with 12,413 cases of those cases considered resolved. As of Thursday, there are 264 active cases in the region, with 44 requiring hospitalization and nine people in the intensive care unit.
One new local COVID-19 death was reported on Thursday, described as a man in his 70s who lived in the community.
To date, 389 people in Windsor-essex have died as a result of contracting the novel coronavirus.