Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 2
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YOUR LOCAL PAPER
Provincial vaccine rollout targets seniors first Patricia Harcourt Editor
The vaccine rollout for COVID-19 is on the minds of many as the province expands immunizing those in long term care and supportive living facilities first. Seniors and others living in those facilities and staff will be targeted for vaccination in January. That timeline also includes respiratory therapists, health care workers and Home Care workers. Paramedics/EMS have been added to the list as of Jan. 11. In February all seniors over 75, and First Nations and Metis over the age of 65, would be getting the vaccine. The general rollout for all Albertans is expected to happen in the fall. Locally, the timing is as yet unclear on the rollout for seniors in care. Vialta Lodge Manager in Viking Wanda Lefsrud said Monday she has not heard the schedule for their facility yet. But Beaver Foundation Board Chair Gene Hrabec stated that he “is very happy with the immunization progress that the Province of Alberta and Alberta Health has completed with the amount of doses received so far.” He added: “We hope the supply of vaccines can sustain the progress in motion on phase 1 and soon phase 2.” The east end of Beaver County falls under the Public Health office in Sedgewick, which had no information to offer on the rollout, referring queries to Alberta Health Services communications. Beaver Foundation CAO Owen Ligard stated Tuesday morning that, although he has reached out to AHS,
there is as yet no word on how the rollout for seniors will take place locally. “I do not have any information on who has received vaccinations or when we will be scheduled in our facilities as of yet,” said Ligard, but long term care facilities would be ahead of lodges in that scheduling. “Residents in other continuing care settings like lodges fall into later phases of the vaccine rollout and will be immunized as soon as we are able,” states the AHS on its website. Ligard did state that eligible healthcare staff across Beaver County, including those at healthcare facilities and in Continuing Care programs, continue to be contacted to attend immunization appointments. The province’s COVID update for Monday, Jan. 11 did reveal that so far over 50,000 doses of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been administered province-wide. Premier Jason Kenney added that three-quarters of the province’s supplies of these vaccines are now in arms, and the province will fall short of needed vaccine if more doesn’t arrive by next week. But he said the work of vaccinating vulnerable seniors and others living in care is underway now. Seniors in 398 facilities for long term care and supportive living “are in the process of receiving it,” he said, referring to vaccine doses. “We are on track to complete vaccinations (in these facilities) in all health zones by Jan. 18,” he said. “This is very good news.” The challenges are to hire enough staff to administer the doses and have
enough supply of the vaccine, which Kenney called “a concern as the pace picks up.” The final challenge is to convince enough Albertans to participate, he said. “We need Albertans to take the vaccine.” The goal is to “create the fastest possible system,” with 50,000 doses being given out every week by the end of January. Ramping up the rollout means that by the end of March 200,000 people a week will be vaccinated, for a total of 700,000 doses given out by that time. Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said that 70 per cent of the population would need to have the vaccine before herd immunity could develop. However, by targeting vulnerable first the early benefits hope to be a large reduction in severe outcomes. Kenney said the plans to vaccinate all Alberta seniors over the age of 75, plus First Nations over the age of 65, “will be announced soon.” However, he warned that “Alberta’s capacity will soon outstrip supplies,” of
the vaccine. Health Minister Shandro said the plan was to vaccinate the highest risk Albertans first, starting with priority health care workers and expanding to residents in long term care facilities. That expansion now includes paramedics and EMS staff “who work on the front line.” Shandro said the province is committed to “getting vaccines out as soon as possible…We want every Albertan to get a vaccine as soon as we get the vaccines.” Vaccines are being administered “nights and weekends,” and vaccines are being taken to long term care/supportive living facilities and hospital sites. Clinics are being set up and “we need to be adequately staffed by actively hiring vaccinators,” Shandro said. But with 4.4 million Albertans to vaccinate, he said that “we still have a long way to go.” He urged everyone to “stay the course” and follow the health guidelines and restrictions until that can happen.
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