With the clock ticking on Ontario’s previous stock of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, pharmacies across the province are expecting to receive deliveries on Wednesday.
The doses are set to arrive at around 160 pharmacies in Toronto, Kingston and Windsor.
The current stock of AstraZeneca is set to expire in five days and are being reserved for those who received their first dose between March 10 and March 19.
The first cohort of Ontarians who received the shot March reported booking headaches and a lack of clarity as they sought to schedule their second jabs on Tuesday.
Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, says “a few” Toronto pharmacies received vaccine supply on Tuesday while the vast majority will be receiving their doses on Wednesday.
“These are early second appointments based on remaining [AstraZeneca doses] that expire on May 31,” Bates says.
“If you don’t get the vaccine at this time, there will be more supply arriving for the 12-week mark as planned.”
A full list of participating pharmacies can be found on the province’s website.
AZ early second dose update: Deliveries to pharmacies is occurring tmrw & the https://t.co/AGv9W0TCIj of participating pharmacies is being updated EOD or tomorrow morning. #Pharmacists will reach out to patients & you can start booking appointments either tmrw afternoon or Thurs.
— Justin Bates (@justjbates) May 25, 2021
Bates says they had to round up all 3,100 doses from across the province that is set to expire next Monday and needed to ensure no doses were spoiled.
He says if you don’t get your second shot early, there’s no reason to panic.
Another 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca will be distributed in the next week or two; just in time for the regularly scheduled 12-week interval.
Though the recommended interval between shots is at least 12 weeks, the second injection is being offered to that group after 10 weeks in order to make use of the 45,000 doses nearing expiration.
Another 10,000 doses of AstraZeneca are due to expire next month. The province currently has more than 300,000 doses in stock.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, has said the shorter interval is safe and provides strong protection against COVID-19.
AstraZeneca has been linked to rare, potentially fatal blood clots, prompting several provinces to recently stop using it as they await further research.
RELATED:
Government sources, meanwhile, confirmed with 680 NEWS that select pharmacies did begin taking bookings on Tuesday afternoon for second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and that some pharmacies in Kingston and Toronto have already started to give out second shots.
Val Logan, 60, says she called the Toronto pharmacy where she got her first shot to ensure she was on a waitlist for the second dose but was directed to call another location to make her appointment.
She says the new venue added her to their list but advised her that people who got their first doses at that location would be prioritized. Logan says she was hoping the process would be more straightforward.
Others reported similar challenges, with pharmacies that administered their first shots not offering the second, and some said they were unsure where to call to book their second doses.
“I kind of feel that we’re now being left in the lurch a bit,” Logan said by phone on Monday.
“We took the advice that the best vaccine is the first one you’re offered, and we’re more than happy to take the AstraZeneca, but now I feel we might fall through a crack here.”
The province’s initial AstraZeneca pilot ran in early March in 325 pharmacies in Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.
Primary care offices in six communities also gave out the AstraZeneca shot during that period.
At the time, adults aged 60-64 were eligible to get the shot in those settings.
Since then, nearly one million people in Ontario aged 40 and older have received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Meanwhile, vaccination numbers continue to rise across the province, including Toronto, where the city surpassed half-million doses administered at city-run clinics over the long weekend.
“We are making huge progress,” says Mayor John Tory. “We’ve gone from single digits of people who are vaccinated to over 50 percent.”
Canada will be receiving another 600,000 doses from Pfizer this week after ramped up deliveries last week ahead of the Victoria Day weekend.
With files from 680 NEWS Business Editor Richard Southern and The Canadian Press
AstraZeneca shipments to arrive in Toronto pharmacies today; Ontarians report issues with 2nd dose bookings - 680 News
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment