These past few weeks, I have received many questions and concerns about vaccine availability. Many of these questions were addressed, when Dr. Vera Etches and Chief Anthony Di Monte briefed City Council about the next steps for vaccine distribution in Ottawa last week. Dr. Etches’s presentation slides from last week’s City Council briefing can be found here. This page is being continually updated as new information becomes available.
COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Ottawa: Answers to some frequently asked questions
Q: Who is currently eligible for the vaccine?
Residents who were born in or before 1941, or who are adult recipients of chronic home care, and who live in the following communities are eligible to receive their vaccine starting Friday, March 5:
- Emerald Woods
- Heatherington
- Ledbury
- Heron Gate
- Ridgemont
- Riverview
- Sawmill Creek
To confirm that you are eligible for vaccination, please visit Ottawa Public Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Screening Tool.
If you are eligible, please call 613-691-5505 to book your appointment. Service providers can take your call between 7:30 am and 6 pm, Monday to Friday, and 8:30 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. Service is available in multiple languages. Walk-ins will not be accepted, so please call in advance to book your appointment.
Residents who are not eligible for this week’s vaccine pop-up clinics, please do not to call this booking phone line, as it is only for eligible residents. Please help us keep phone lines open for those who are eligible to receive a vaccine.
Pop-up clinics will be operating in these locations. Dates and times will be confirmed when you make your appointment.
- Albion Heatherington Community Centre, 1560 Heatherington Road
- Sawmill Creek Pool and Community Centre, 3380 D’Aoust Avenue
- Assunnah Muslims Association Community Centre, 1216 Hunt Club Road
Accommodations will be made for residents who need help with accessibility and all sites are accessible. If you are a Para Transpo user, you can book your ride to the pop-up clinic like you would normally do. If a transportation option is not available to you, you can request a ride to and from the clinic when you book your vaccine appointment.
If you were born in or before 1941 or are an adult recipient of chronic home care and do not live in these neighbourhoods, you are not eligible for a vaccine at these pop-up clinics. This is due to the limited supply of vaccines. Additional pop-up clinics in more neighbourhoods will be announced next week.
Community clinics are also expected to open later in March for all other Ottawa residents who were born in or before 1941, or who are recipients of chronic home care, pending vaccine delivery. Booking for these appointments will begin in mid-March. More information will be available in the coming weeks on how to book these appointments. Please do not call the booking phone line regarding these appointments at this time.
Priority Groups:
- Staff, residents and caregivers in retirement homes and other congregate care settings for seniors
- Priority health care workers
- All Indigenous adults
- Adult recipients of chronic home care
- Adults 80 years of age and older in high-risk communities
Q: What’s being done to notify residents when it’s their turn for the vaccine?
The City and OPH are developing a robust communication strategy for reaching adults aged 80+ to advise them on when and where they will be able to get vaccinated. This information will begin to circulate in early March.
Outreach consists of:
- Public Service Announcements and media interviews
- Print advertising in daily and local community newspapers
- Radio advertising
- Targeted social media advertising
- Targeted outreach to appropriate stakeholders
- Diverse media outlets
- City’s e-newsletter
- Communications through Members of Council
Map of Clinic Sites in Ottawa
Q: What is the capacity of Community Clinics to administer the vaccines?
- Up to 7 community clinics are being readied for when vaccine supply is increased.
- Community clinics can immunize large numbers of people over a short period of time.
- Once fully operational, clinics will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week. Plans are being considered for 24 / 7 operations if needed.
- Provided the supply is available, community clinics could administer 10,976 immunizations daily, that’s 307,328 monthly.
- Community clinics +2 hospital clinics would have the capacity to provide approximately 380,000 vaccines per month – not including what can further be achieved with mobile vaccination teams, pop-up clinics, pharmacies and primary care settings.
Q: What is the Province’s timeline for vaccine distribution?
Q: What is the status on the vaccination of priority groups in Ottawa?
Q: How many doses do we presently have, and how many have we administered?
This information is publicly available and regularly updated on OPH’s Daily COVID-19 Dashboard.