Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout ramps up, as many provincial case counts rise
Posted March 22, 2021 1:39 pm.
Last Updated March 22, 2021 1:40 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With about two million COVID-19 vaccine doses set to arrive in Canada this week, provinces and territories are able to speed up their vaccination plans.
Varying schedules have been laid out across the country for who can get the shots and when.
In Ontario, people 75 and older can start to book appointments Monday. More than 31,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in the province since Sunday’s update.
More than one in 10 people in Quebec have already had at least one dose of vaccine, and people in Montreal over the age of 60 can start scheduling shots at their local pharmacy.
B.C.’s plan is a little more staggered, with those 78 and up becoming eligible in most health regions as of Monday.
RELATED: COVID-19 vaccinations in B.C.: What you need to know
As of Friday, 490,022 doses of vaccine had been administered in B.C. so far, 87,139 of which were second doses.
While COVID-19 vaccination efforts are ramping up Canada-wide, in many provinces the number of new infections is climbing as well.
Ontario reported 1,699 new infections Monday, marking the sixth straight day with more than 1,500 cases. Nearly 300 COVID-19 patients are in the ICU.
Case numbers in Quebec are holding fairly steady, with 712 new infections reported Monday.
Canadian officials warned last week that Canada is still subject to fluctuations in production. However, the country’s deputy chief public health officer recently said the deliveries expected in the coming weeks set the country on the right track to administer the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to every Canadian who wants one by the end of June.
-with files from Cormac Mac Sweeney and Hana Mae Nassar
