Newfoundland and Labrador continues vaccinating its first priority groups as it battles the largest COVID-19 outbreak the province has seen since the start of the pandemic.
The province is currently in Phase One of its COVID-19 immunization plan and says details are still being finalized for future phases.
According to the provincial dashboard, N.L. has received 13,650 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 7,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
As of Wednesday, the province has administered 16,458 doses of the vaccine and 6,112 residents have received their second dose.
Priority groups
N.L. has not released a timeline for its phased approach, but it is currently in Phase One of the vaccine distribution.
Priority groups in the first phase include:
- those in congregate living settings for seniors
- health-care workers involved in COVID-19 response
- those of over the age of 85
- adults in remote or isolated Indigenous communities
Vaccination for Inuit communities in Labrador began Jan. 11. That week, health authorities offered shots to anyone over 17 years old in the five Nunatsiavut communities, with priority given to health-care workers and seniors.
“The ultimate goal of Newfoundland and Labrador’s COVID-19 immunization plan is to immunize as many people as quickly as possible in an ethical and risk-stratified manner,” said the N.L. Health and Community Services Department in an email.
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“Details are being finalized on future phases. Information on future phases will be provided publicly when it is available.:
While groups who will be vaccinated in Phase 2 have not been confirmed yet, the provincial website says they could include:
- health-care workers not included in Phase One
- residents and staff of all other congregate living settings
- essential workers
“These categories will be further defined as more is known about potential COVID-19 vaccines that will be available in Phase Two, including the number of doses, number and timelines of vaccines available, and storage and handling requirements,” the website reads.
For Phase 3, N.L. plans to make the vaccine available to the general public.
“Once most individuals in high-risk priority groups have been immunized, the vaccine will be offered to the general public.”
The province echoed federal expectations of having residents vaccinated by fall 2021.
Newfoundland and Labrador health authorities reported 380 known active COVID-19 cases on Thursday, which is nearly half of the total number of cases the province reported during the pandemic.
To date, the province reported 803 cases of the virus, of which 416 have recovered.
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