Local vaccine further delayed

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has received additional information on the Pfizer vaccine production delays. Canada will now receive even fewer doses than was anticipated when delays were announced earlier this month. As a result, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health will not receive the expected Pfizer vaccine delivery on February 1, 2021 (1,975 doses). As of today, Public Health does not have an expected date to receive additional Pfizer vaccines.

To accommodate this unexpected gap in vaccine deliveries, Public Health is pausing first-dose vaccinations for staff of long-term care and retirement homes effective January 20, 2021. These appointments will be rescheduled once Pfizer shipments resume. Individuals who have already received the first dose will be provided the second dose at a longer interval that does not exceed the 42-day maximum interval as in the product monograph.

Public Health's priority remains vaccinating long-term care and retirement home residents, staff and essential caregivers and those requiring second dose as soon as possible. Shipments of the Moderna vaccine have not been affected and will continue to be used to vaccinate all long-term care and retirement home residents.

Some of the highlights of the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health vaccine program so far include:

To date, 4,407 people in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

As of January 19, 2021, more people in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph had received the first dose of the vaccine than had contracted the virus

People should be suspicious of any vaccine ads and offers they find online. Losing one's money is the least that might happen — injecting a poisonous substance is a much greater risk.