Seven medical residents from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine helped The Ottawa Hospital administer the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, December 15.
Jo-Anne Miner, personal care attendant at St. Patrick’s Home in Ottawa, received the very first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa at 8 a.m. Ms. Miner was the first of 100 people to receive the vaccine in our city during the first day of vaccination.
“I’m proud to be here today and happy to receive the vaccine,” says Jo-Anne. It will help create a safer environment for my colleagues and I, as well as the residents of St. Patrick’s Home. It has been a difficult year for many of the people who live and work in long term care facilities. The vaccine is an important step forward in helping us keep everyone safe in homes and communities. “
Over the next few days, more medical residents will help The Ottawa Hospital administer 3,000 doses of the vaccine at the Civic Campus to 1,500 people working in long-term care facilities across the city.
“We had to turn down several volunteer offers from our residents who wanted to help with the vaccination effort because the team was full,” noted Dr. Lorne Wiesenfeld, Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education.
Since Pfizer has completed all necessary trials and Health Canada has approved its COVID-19 vaccine, the Ontario government has started administering the vaccine to those most at risk. The Ottawa Hospital works closely with Ottawa Public Health, regional long-term care facilities and other regional care partners to facilitate the logistics of getting all of these people to the place of vaccination safely. .
“Today marks an important moment in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the community,” said Joanne Read, Executive Vice President and Chief, Planning and Development, at The Ottawa Hospital. “Our hospital is delighted to be part of this unprecedented effort. Now that we have an approved safe vaccine, we can begin the process to protect those most vulnerable to COVID-19. “
The process will test logistics in two different regions of the province and establish the best way to distribute the vaccine. The Ottawa Hospital has the equipment to safely store Pfizer’s vaccine at -70 ° C and the staff to manage the vaccination. The vaccine cannot be shipped anywhere other than the vaccine delivery location at this time.
The decision to vaccinate healthcare workers in long-term care facilities first is in line with the Ontario government’s plan to vaccinate its residents, which relied on vulnerability and risk, among other things, to establish the ‘priority order.
The arrival of the vaccine is extremely positive news, but continuing to follow the advice of public health authorities is essential to ensure everyone’s safety and to stop the spread of COVID-19.
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