Nova Scotia announced Monday that four more COVID-19 vaccine storage sites will be set up across the province this week as it prepares to expand the vaccination program early in the new year.
According to the province, the cold storage sites will be at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Colchester East Hants Health Centre, Valley Regional Hospital and Yarmouth Regional Hospital. They will be able to store any COVID-19 vaccine at the appropriate temperature.
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The vaccine will arrive to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital and Valley Regional Hospital cold storage sites the week of Jan. 4, the province added.
Each site will receive 1,950 doses.
“The rollout of vaccine across Nova Scotia will take time,” said Premier Stephen McNeil in a press release. “I ask everyone for their patience as our public health teams and health system partners continue their hard work over the holidays to expand access.”
In the meantime, front-line healthcare workers and long-term care staff in the central zone are receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a clinic in Halifax this month. So far, 1463 people have received their first shot of vaccine, said the province.
“As we move into the new year we will see more vaccine arrive in our province and we will make sure that those who need it most during phase one of our rollout, receive it first,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health.
“We are now working on how we move that vaccine across the province and who will get it next, once it’s in place.”
The only vaccine currently approved by Health Canada is the one made by Pfizer-BioNTech.
Nova Scotia said it expects to start receiving vaccine made by Moderna later this month. “The Moderna vaccine still needs Health Canada approval before it can be administered,” said the province.
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