Coronavirus: LTC residents in London-Middlesex to be vaccinated by Jan. 23, Mackie says

All long-term care home residents in the London and Middlesex region are expected to be vaccinated for the novel coronavirus by the end of Jan. 23, the region’s medical officer of health said Monday.

The news comes a week after the Middlesex-London Health Unit announced it would shift the focus of its vaccination campaign to getting shots into the arms of long-term care home residents as quickly as possible.

“By the 23rd, we expect to complete our vaccination campaign of long-term care homes, specifically focusing on residents. So all of the residents in long-term care homes in Middlesex and London will be vaccinated by the end of the day on Jan. 23,” said Dr. Chris Mackie during Monday’s media briefing.

“We’re very excited about that. We’ve had tremendous cooperation from the homes. We’ve had tremendous feedback from homes as well, appreciating the work of the health unit staff and the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service who has been out to many of those homes with us to help vaccinate.”

Mackie said health unit teams were slated to visit and vaccinate residents at Chartwell London, Craigwell Gardens, Dearness Home, Elmwood, Extedicare London, Henley Place, McGarrell Place, Meadow Park, and Mount Hope over the next four days, not necessarily in that order.

“Once long-term care home residents are all vaccinated, we will be turning to the residents of high-risk retirement homes, and there are about half a dozen more homes in that category to vaccinate,” Mackie noted.

“Three of those homes will be done this week because they’re co-located with long-term care facilities.”

Mackie has noted previously that some 60 per cent of deaths in the province have taken place at long-term care homes — facilities which represent less than 10 per cent of Ontario’s population — with many of the remaining deaths located at retirement homes.

In London-Middlesex, seniors’ facilities have been linked to 78 of the region’s 152 COVID-19-related deaths.

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Vaccinations continue to be administered at the clinic located at the Western Fair District Agriplex, said Dr. Adam Dukelow, London Health Sciences Centre’s chief medical officer.

LHSC runs the clinic in partnership with the health unit and in collaboration with Huron-Perth Public Health and Southwestern Public Health.

“The number of doses being delivered at the Agriplex has decreased on a daily basis because vaccine is in limited supply and it’s going right into the long-term care homes. However, second doses and first doses continue to be delivered to long-term care staff that can make their way to the Agriplex,” he said.

Phase 1 of the province’s three-phase vaccine rollout, set to run until March, has health-care workers; essential caregivers; adults in First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations; and adults who receive chronic home health care among those eligible to be vaccinated.

But with a provincial directive to have the COVID-19 vaccine administered in all long-term care and retirement homes by Feb. 15, and with concerns about a limited regional vaccine supply, the local vaccination effort turned its focus last week to long-term care.

Last week it was reported that local hospital staff who had not received a first dose would have to wait to get one. In a memo to staff, LHSC’s COO said health units had advised all hospitals that vaccine supply would be solely prioritized toward long-term care residents and staff, according to a London Free Press report.

On Monday, Mackie said roughly 9,000 to 10,000 doses had been administered already in the region, adding the health unit has been told that there will be additional doses of the vaccine available over the next two months.

“The goal is to try and wrap up the first phase of vaccinations by sometime in March or the beginning of April, which would mean that would be that would include all of those health-care workers and front-line workers,” he said.

“I can give you a very broad timeline. It’ll be sometime in the next two and a half months that those people would all be vaccinated, but we don’t have specific information because of the uncertainty of availability of the vaccine.”

Pfizer announced last week that it was temporarily delaying international shipments of its vaccine while it upgrades production facilities in Europe.

The Ontario government has said that will affect the province’s vaccine distribution plan, and some people will see their booster shots delayed by several weeks.

Locally, however, Mackie noted the slowdown wouldn’t result in a major decline in the number of doses received in London and Middlesex.

“All of those people will receive their second doses within the 42-day framework,” he said.

Phase 2 of the province’s plan is anticipated to begin at the start of April, with the vaccine becoming available to older adults, those who live and work in high-risk congregate settings, front-line essential workers and those with high-risk chronic conditions.

— With files from The Canadian Press