Public Health Sudbury and Districts does not know, or is not saying at this time, exactly when the COVID-19 vaccines will be ready for local health-care workers, or vulnerable patients, or members of the public.
Earlier this week, during a technical briefing, the Ontario government announced that the vaccine rollout was taking place in Toronto, Peel region, York region, Windsor-Essex and other COVID-19 hotspots, between now and January 21. Other priority areas will be determined after that date.
But when the vaccines do become available to this part of Ontario, local public health workers, and even students, are expecting to hit the ground running.
"Training modules on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been developed by Public Health Sudbury & Districts to ensure Public Health staff are ready for when the vaccine arrives in our local communities. Nursing students are also being recruited and trained to ensure preparedness and to support local vaccine distribution," said the latest vaccine bulletin issued by PHSD Thursday.
PHSD said it would be providing the vaccines in collaboration with Health Sciences North. The two vaccines available in Ontario are the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccine, both of which are messenger RNA vaccines (called mRNA vaccines).
As explained by Health Canada, the newer mRNA vaccines do not use a sample of live virus to trigger an immune response.
"mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response. Once triggered, our body then makes antibodies. These antibodies help us fight the infection if the real virus does enter our body in the future," said Health Canada.
PHSD said all vaccines are "contra-indicated" for people who have an immediate or anaphylactic hypersensitivity (allergy) to any component of the vaccine or its packaging. This also applies to persons who have had sensitivity to previous vaccines.
"If someone has a known severe allergy, they should speak to their health care provider to determine if they are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. More information about the recommendations of use (Health Canada) on the COVID-19 vaccines are provided by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization," said the health unit bulletin.
Along with training preparation, PHSD said it has an online public information page about vaccines for area residents and is committed to keeping the page updated in a timely manner.
In the meantime, just because the vaccine rollout has begun in Ontario, PHSD said it doesn't mean anyone should let their guard down with respect to pandemic precautions.
"Diligently practising public health measures like wearing a mask or face covering, physical distancing, and washing our hands frequently remains necessary. These public health measures will continue to be recommended for everyone, even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, until widespread protection is achieved," said the public health bulletin.
