Increased COVID-19 vaccine supply needed for priority populations

Waterloo Region – COVID-19 vaccinations continue in Waterloo Region with 6,823 healthcare workers vaccinated by end of day January 10, 2021. Due to limited supply, vaccinations take place using a just-in-time inventory. There is no extra vaccine in storage and all vaccine is accounted for.

Region of Waterloo Public Health along with community partners have worked to create mobile vaccination teams to begin vaccination of long-term care residents this week. With second doses also being administered this week, vaccine supply is critical to allow continued vaccination of community members identified as high-priority.

“Our capacity to vaccinate has tripled over the past two weeks and I am confident we can continue to ramp up operations to vaccinate more people, more quickly,” said Shirley Hilton, Deputy Chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service and head of the Waterloo Region Vaccine Distribution Task Force. “The greatest obstacle right now is supply since we can only vaccinate using what we have. Our current vaccine supply is allocated to high-priority groups most at-risk. Increasing vaccine supply in Waterloo Region will allow us to vaccinate these groups much more quickly.”

The province has outlined a phased vaccination plan with priority populations for vaccination. 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. The second phase adds priority vaccination of other congregate care settings and older adults aged 70 plus. Rollout to the broader community is expected in July. As phases launch, communication about where and when residents can receive the vaccine will be shared broadly.

Vaccination of the broader community, as part of Phase 3, is expected to begin in the summer. The goal is to ensure every single person in Waterloo Region who wants to be vaccinated, is able to be. This is the best way to ensure everyone is protected from the virus in the future. Members of the public are asked to continue to follow public health guidelines to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading in our community.

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

Region of Waterloo Public Health & Emergency Services

jkalbfleisch@regionofwaterloo.ca

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