COVID-19: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph expects 51K doses of Pfizer vaccine by end of May

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says it expects to receive 51,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by the end of May.

In a statement on Monday, the health unit said the province has projected that the region will receive 44,460 doses in May on top of the 7,020 expected this week.

“This is tremendous news,” said medical officer of health, Dr. Nicola Mercer.

“Our local vaccination program has the capacity to increase volumes at a moment’s notice once we receive increased supply of the vaccine.”

As of Monday, 87,304 residents are considered vaccinated in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, having received one dose of the vaccine.

Another 60,000 residents are currently pre-registered for a vaccine appointment.

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Public health said if the shipments from Pfizer arrive as expected, most people who are pre-registered will receive a vaccination by the end of May.

“By the end of May, this infusion of vaccines should allow us to reach and vaccinate more than 50 per cent of the eligible population of the region,” Mercer said.

“That’s tremendous progress in a very short time. But, in order to end this pandemic, we must continue to strive toward meeting and surpassing the goal of 75 per cent of eligible residents vaccinated against COVID-19.”

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Mercer added that the higher the number of people vaccinated, the faster things can get back to normal.

Those who have not pre-registered for a vaccine are urged to do so.

More information on how to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph can be found on public health’s website.