STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC March 10, 2021
Vaccinating in the Outaouais has hit a brief lull as the region anticipates another shipment of doses in order to begin its process of vaccinating those aged 85 and above on March 10 and March 11.
Over the past week, a mere 14 vaccinations were administered throughout the region as part of a province-wide strategy to concentrate vaccine supplies in the harder-hit areas of the province, such as Montreal and Laval.
During a March 4 press conference, CISSSO medical officer Dr. Carol McConnery explained that it was . . .
a decision that was made by Quebec’s public health directors in order to address the regions that are dealing with higher numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“What happened in Quebec is there was a decision, which is a very good decision, an epidemiological decision, to redistribute some of the vaccine doses to the hot zones or to the red zones — like Montreal, Laval, Montérégie and Lanaudière — and that’s what happened,” McConnery said.
She assured the public that the CISSSO must administer any vaccines that they have within four days of receiving them.
“We haven’t received any vaccines here for the last two weeks,” she said. “So we finished all … the long-term care and retirement homes and we will be receiving vaccines next week but we haven’t received any vaccines in the last two weeks.”
So far, the health authority has administered vaccine doses to a total of 4,946 residents in long-term care homes and other private facilities. Another 3,800 health care workers have been vaccinated, out of a total of 9,800 employees eligible.
According to media relations agent Camille Brochu-Lafrance, the CISSSO is still awaiting direction from the province regarding when those who have already been vaccinated will be receiving their second doses.
She added that for the employees who have not yet received the vaccine, some of them have refused, although she didn’t specify how many. She explained that the process of employee vaccinating had been held up due to the region’s vaccine supply.
With Quebec receiving 213,620 vaccines this week, the region is due to be receiving a shipment of vaccines from the province. Vaccination appointments will be beginning in urban areas on March 10. For those in the Pontiac and other rural areas, appointments will get underway on March 11.
Residents born in 1941 and prior to that date can sign up for an appointment to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by going online at quebec.ca/vaccincovid or by calling 1-877-644-4545.
