Under the province’s vaccination plan, up to 8.5-million people will roll up their sleeve before the end of the summer.
Official unveiled more details about the plan on Wednesday, as they mapped out the next steps for transitioning into Phase Two.
Phase One is expected to end in the coming weeks and all nursing home employees, residents and caregivers are expected to receive their first dose by February 15.
“With Phase One of our plan well underway, we’re getting ready to expand our vaccine rollout and get more needles into arms as soon as the supply is available,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We know this second phase will be an even larger logistical undertaking than the first. That’s why we’re ramping up our capacity on the ground to ensure these vaccines are administered quickly, beginning with the people who need them most.”
Around 1.5-million people will get the vaccine by the end of Phase One.
In the next phase, the province says older adults will be eligible to get the vaccine. Officials say they will start with those 80 and older, then decrease the maximum age in five year increments as more doses are available.
Frontline essential workers, those living or working in high-risk congregate settings and people with high-risk chronic conditions will also be able to get immunized in Phase Two.
To get people vaccinated earlier, the government is also expanding the list of health care providers who can give out the shots.
In the coming months, the province says municipally-run vaccine clinics will be opened, mobile vaccination sites will be set up and other places will be able to administer the vaccine, such as pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, primary care settings and community health centres.
The first municipal-run site will be opening on January 18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The final phase of the plan, when the vaccine is available to anyone who wants to get it, could start as early as August.
To date, the government says vaccines have been administered at 196 locations. Over 144,000 doses of the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine have been given out, including over 45,000 to health care workers in long-term care homes and retirement homes.
