TORONTO – Ontario is trying to shift gears in its Covid-19 vaccination campaign. The big news of the weekend is the direct consequence of the announcement made in recent days by Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott on the possibility of extending vaccination to all residents of at least 18 years. A temporary clinic was opened at Thorncliffe Park on Saturday and yesterday, where, in 48 hours about 2,500 doses were given to residents who waited several hours in line for their shift. In the coming days, with the progressive increase in the availability of vaccines, these mobile clinics will be open in all Ontario hotspots to reach all adults eager to get vaccinated. Until now, vaccination has been carried out in hospitals, mass vaccination clinics, pharmacies and family doctors. The government is therefore aiming for a dual strategy. On the one hand, we continue to vaccinate by following the road map to age groups, with the aim of immunizing older and therefore more at-risk people; on the other hand, we want to vaccinate people without any personal distinction in the areas of the province where the contagion runs faster.

According to data compiled by covid19tracker.ca, the federal government has distributed 10,620,740 doses to the Provinces and Territories. Of these, 7,972,487 were administered, or 75.1 percent.

In Ontario, the federal government has so far sent 4,031,325 doses of vaccine. So far, 3,139,743 doses have been inoculated, or 77.9 percent of the total. Yes, at the federal level, compared to the previous days, there has been an acceleration in the administration of vaccines already available. In addition, more than a million Pfizer vaccines will arrive this week, along with new supplies of Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Toronto Mayor John Tory and Premier Ford also received the first dose of vaccine over the weekend. Both were given the AstraZeneca vaccine, as happened two weeks ago to Health Minister Elliott. The decision of the two politicians is part of a campaign of conviction against those who still have suspicions about this vaccine after the cases of thrombosis that occurred in Europe last month. “AstraZeneca is a safe vaccine – said Tory – millions of people around the world have been immunized with this vaccine: I think it is an important message.