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Province sending AstraZeneca to primary care providers in Simcoe Muskoka

The new vaccines will be reserved for adults between 60 and 64 years old, and appointments will be made by invitation, so don't call your doctor
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Simcoe-Muskoka region will be getting some of the province’s 194,500 doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHEILD vaccine against COVID-19 by Saturday. 

The Ontario government announced today the local region is one of six regions in the province that will be part of a pilot project involving primary care professionals administering the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

According to a news release issued today by the province, the primary care providers can now start reaching out to eligible adults between 60 and 64 years old to book appointments for the vaccine. They will not be taking appointments by request. They will only be administering AstraZeneca vaccines. 

Though the current phase of the province’s vaccine roll-out (phase one) does not include that age group, the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations has recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine only be used for adults aged 18 to 64 years old. 

Included in the primary care provider pilot with Simcoe-Muskoka region are Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph, Peterborough, and Peel. 

Today’s announcement was delivered by Premier Doug Ford, Deputy Premier Christine Elliott, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, and General Rick Hillier, chair of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force. 

They also announced a second pilot project with select pharmacies in Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and Kingston, Frontenac and Addington health unit regions. AstraZeneca will be delivered to 325  pharmacies in those regions, again for adults between 60 and 64 years old. 

It is not clear how many doses of AstraZeneca will be sent to Simcoe-Muskoka, nor was it announced which primary care providers will be participating in the pilot. 

Currently, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is allowing seniors aged 85 years or older to book vaccine appointments for one of 13 community clinics. The waiting list is currently full, but more appointments open as more vaccine is delivered.

For more details on today’s announcement, click here.


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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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