First COVID-19 vaccination clinic launched today in Hamilton
December 23, 2020
HAMILTON, ON – Today, approximately 30 employees from various long-term care homes from across the city will be the first people in Hamilton to receive doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This exciting and momentous day kicks off the vaccine clinics that are managed by Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Primary Care Physicians and Hamilton Paramedic Services alongside Hamilton Public Health Services.
Today’s staff Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination clinic hosted the following long-term care homes: Parkview Nursing Centre, The Wellington Nursing Home, St. Peter’s Residence at Chedoke, Hamilton Continuing Care and Baywoods Place.
The clinic will run for several days, and is currently open for long-term care employees only, it is not open to the general public, as per the prioritization framework developed by the Provincial Government. Those identified to receive the first doses of the vaccine have been contacted with appointment times and will continue to be scheduled based on availability.
We need to work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community, to reserve healthcare and hospital capacity and to protect vulnerable settings like long-term care homes.
Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccination in Hamilton at www.hamilton.ca/COVIDvaccines.
Quick Facts
- It is vital that members of the public ensure that public health measures still be practiced until it is safe and said to be safe by the health professionals in all levels of government. Public health measures include:
- limit gatherings to only members of your immediate household
- maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or 2 meters from others outside of your immediate household
- wash hands frequently
- wear a mask or face covering indoors and outdoors when not able to maintain physical distancing
- stay home if you are feeling unwell
- get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms or have been in close contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19
- Vaccination roll-out will be based on the prioritization framework as determined by Provincial guidelines.
- It is expected that vaccines will become available for more people in the winter and spring of 2021. It is expected that by end of 2021 everyone who wants a vaccine will be offered a vaccine free of cost.
- Working groups from across Hamilton’s health sector continue to work to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are distributed effectively and equitably once they arrive locally. Teams are focused on implementing the provincial framework to ensure prioritization of key populations is met and that the logistics around local storage and distribution of vaccine supply are ready to be operationalized.
Quotes
“Today marks an important step in our efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful to all of the partners who mobilized quickly to activate the vaccine clinic including Hamilton Public Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton Family Health Team, McMaster Family Health Team, primary care physicians, Hamilton Paramedic Services and the team at Hamilton Health Sciences.”
– Bruce Squires, President, McMaster Children’s Hospital and VP, Women’s and Children’s Health, HHS & Co-Chair of the HCRT Vaccine Logistics Planning
“I want to thank the long-term care homes for their flexibility and willingness to participate in today’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic, we look forward to working with all of our partners to facilitate more clinics in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. I want to remind all residents, even those who have received the vaccine, that it is vital that all public health measures continue to be followed until it is determined safe to stop. Limit gatherings only to those within your household, maintain a physical distance from others, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask, stay home, and if you are feeling unwell, get tested. ”
– Michelle Baird, Director, Hamilton Public Health Services and Co-Chair of the HCRT Health Promotion and Immunization Working Group and Logistics Planning
Additional Resources
• Media resources: https://hhsc.box.com/s/3q51c72upp9l0uw888xcingqgh8tjkhe
• Read more about Ontario’s COVID vaccination program.
• Find out how the province plans to roll out the COVID vaccine
• www.hamilton.ca/COVIDvaccines
• www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus
• www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/assessment-centres
• https://covid-19.ontario.ca
• Public Health Services’ COVID-19 Hotline: 905-974-9848 or phscovid19@hamilton.ca