BARRIE, ONT. -- Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie and Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket are among 17 Ontario hospitals the province says will receive the next batch of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year.
The additional hospitals announced Friday join Toronto's University Health Network and the Ottawa Hospital in giving the vaccine to health care workers.
A COVID-19 Immunization Clinic will open in Barrie in the Sperling Drive RVH COVID-19 Testing and Assessment Centre in anticipation of the vaccine.
"This is wonderful news for all of us and cause for real optimism, but it is a complex endeavour," said Dr. Charles Gardner, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit's medical officer of health. "It will take some time for us, working together with our partners, to roll out mass immunization for all of our residents who want it."
Ontario expects to receive up to 90,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses from the federal government in the next two weeks, which will be administered to health care workers and essential caregivers in seniors' homes.
"While we are planning to ensure that everyone who wants a vaccine will receive one, we need to first protect our frontline workers, and those providing essential care to our most vulnerable," Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a statement Friday.
"Although hospital workers have been identified as a priority population, limited availability of the Pfizer vaccine means that hospital staff and physicians won't be vaccinated until January. But after a tough nine months, there's hope that our lives can begin to get back to normal in late-2021," said Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre's president and CEO, Janice Skot.
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman said the city is proud to partner with the health unit and hospital to help house the COVID-19 Immunization Clinic. "This will be the most critical step that we have all been waiting for in ending the pandemic and allowing us to return to our normal lives. Our community is grateful for all that our front line workers have done, and all they will continue to do as the vaccine is rolled out."
