Local public health officials are getting ready to roll up their sleeves following the announcement of the first COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Guelph, but it may be a while before everyone get vaccinated.
On Jan 4, Wellington Dufferin Guelph (WDG) Public Health will be receiving and distributing a limited number of Pfizer vaccines with a full vaccination program set to launch the next day.
Danny Williamson, a communications specialist with WDG Public Health, says this is the best news they have been able to share since the pandemic began.
While this is an exciting time for the community, he adds the community will have to remain diligent and follow public health orders until a vaccine can be distributed to everyone, as it may take a few months before a bulk of the population is vaccinated.
“As much as today is an exciting today and good news," he said, "We still need to all wear a mask, we still need to limit our gatherings, we still need to practice good hand hygiene, we still need to physically distance.
“We now have a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is still ahead of us."
He mentions while public health is confident it has a good plan in place, the vaccination program will be a learning curve.
“This is a new vaccine, so obviously we will learn a lot as we go along,” said Williamson, “We’ll probably have a better understanding in the next week, or two, what that looks like each day, how many vaccines are given out.”
Receiving less than 1,000 doses, public health will be administering the vaccine to long-term care providers and retirement homes as directed by the province.
“We’re going to put the vaccine where it’s going to do the most good right away.”
Besides prioritization, Williamson adds who gets vaccinated also depends on who can get to the public office, as it is the first public health unit approved for storing the vaccine.
“Because of the nature of the storage and transportation, the first round of vaccinations will happen all at our office,” he said, “We're working with our long-term care providers, we’ll work through who’s most ready, who has curved vulnerability, we’ll try to work through that process so that as many people can get it as quickly as possible."
Focusing on delivering the doses efficiently, Williamson said public health is aiming to be able to provide everyone with a vaccine by the end of 2021.
