10,000 doses administered in Waterloo Region

Waterloo Region – Another milestone has been reached today with over 10,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered since clinics began in late December 2020.

Vaccines are being administered to priority groups in the first phase of a three-phased provincial distribution implementation plan. The first phase prioritizes health care workers, essential caregivers, long-term care home and retirement home residents, First Nation communities and urban Indigenous populations, including Métis and Inuit adults.

This announcement comes at a time when the region will temporarily pause the Grand River Hospital COVID-19 vaccination clinic in order to vaccinate as many long-term care and retirement home residents as possible with the current supply. The clinic will be closed on Friday January 15, 2021, to Monday, January 18, 2021 and will reopen on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

Shirley Hilton, Deputy Chief for the Waterloo Regional Police Service and head of the Region of Waterloo COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force has said that with the recent ability to move the Pfizer vaccine, “the priority right now is to transfer the Pfizer vaccine to the mobile clinics so that vaccinations can continue in the mobile clinics with long-term care and retirement home residents being the priority.”

This decision to pause the clinic utilizes the following principals:

• Use up the vaccine supply as it comes in
• Prioritize long-term care and retirement home residents
• Ensure there is enough for second doses

Another vaccine delivery is anticipated next week, which will allow the team to continue using the supply as it comes in. While Public Health is focusing on vaccinating long-term care and retirement home residents, the plan will be for GRH to provide support to Public Health by deploying clinic staff to work with the mobile teams. 

Members of the public are asked to continue following public health guidelines to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading in our community. More information on how you can protect yourself and others can be found on our website.

More information and regular updates on the work of the taskforce are available on the Region of Waterloo’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Taskforce Webpage.

Media Contact:

Julie Kalbfleisch, Manager, Information & Communications
Public Health and Emergency Services
jkalbfleisch@regionofwaterloo.ca

General Inquiries: publichealth@regionofwaterloo.ca

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