COVID-19 vaccination is well underway at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, with around 350 people immunized so far.
Hospital CEO Rhonda Crocker-Ellacott explains they’re focusing on some of the people most likely to be exposed to the virus at work.
“We’ve vaccinated healthcare workers doing direct care in long-term care, and vaccinators destined for remote northern communities through the provincial Northern Remote Vaccine Strategy,” Crocker-Ellacott says, which she explains includes emergency medical services and medical transport workers.
She says right now, they’re limited by how many doses they have on hand, and hope to receive more shipments of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine this month. Crocker-Ellacott says the demand for the vaccine is high.
The hospital is strictly focusing on the Pfizer vaccine for the time being.
“When it comes to receiving Moderna vaccine, for example, my understanding is that will be managed by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and the health units across the province,” she explains.
The vaccine rollout in the Northwest started on December 22nd. The Northwestern Health Unit has said it won’t be able to administer the Pfizer vaccine because of the low temperature required to store it. Instead, the NWHU indicated it would wait for the Moderna vaccine to become available.
