Vaccine distribution plan
Who is determining who can get a COVID-19 vaccine and when?
The Government of Canada is responsible for approval and procurement of COVID-19 vaccine supply. The Government of Ontario is responsible for the distribution of these vaccines across the province. The Ethical Framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution(link is external) guides how the provincial government prioritizes and distributes vaccines across Ontario.
The City’s Emergency Operations Centre and Ottawa Public Health are doing everything possible to ensure Ottawa residents who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be able to access it as quickly and efficiently as possible, dependent on vaccine supply and in alignment with the provincial framework. The total amount of vaccines that will be distributed to the City of Ottawa and precise delivery dates are not yet known. These decisions are made by the province and subject to vaccine procurement from the federal government.
Currently, the province has advised that they are adjusting vaccination plans in response to shipment delays. For the latest information, please refer to the following web page:
Government of Ontario: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario.
Where will I be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19?
Various strategies will be used to distribute and administer vaccines across Ottawa, based on the quantity and type of vaccines received throughout 2021. The primary locations and strategies will include hospital clinics, community clinics, pharmacies, mobile vaccination teams, primary health care providers like family doctors and by other health care professionals such as nurses working in congregate living settings, including long-term care homes and shelters.
The City is preparing up to seven community clinics to augment the Ottawa Hospital clinic and the clinic coming to the Queensway Carleton Hospital. Altogether, these clinics will have capacity to administer about 380,000 vaccines per month when vaccine supply increases. Vaccinations being done by mobile vaccination teams, pop-up clinics, pharmacies and primary care providers will add to that total.
Community clinics are not yet open but can be operational within 72 hours in the event large amounts of vaccines become available.
Where will the community clinics be located?
- Horticulture Building,1525 Princess Patricia Way
- Eva James Memorial Centre, 65 Stonehaven Drive
- Peter Clark Facility, 255 Centrum Boulevard
- Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue
- Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West
- St-Laurent Complex, 525 Côté Street
- Canterbury Recreation Complex, 2185 Arch Street
- The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus, 1053 Carling Ave
- Queensway Carleton Hospital, 3045 Baseline Rd
- Ruddy Family YMCA-YWCA, 265 Centrum Blvd
The City will open additional clinics if vaccine supply allows. The City, in collaboration with Ottawa Public Health, will also deploy mobile vaccination teams to areas of the city that are disproportionally impacted by COVID-19.
When will the community clinics open?
The City’s community clinics are not currently in operation. They are ready to open, subject to vaccine availability. Under the province’s phased approach to vaccine roll-out, these community clinics are unlikely to be operational until Phase 2 (starting April 2021), dependent on vaccine availability. More details will follow in the coming weeks.
Once open, the four pre-identified community clinics will have the capacity to administer 1,200 vaccines per day at each clinic. They will operate 7-days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to ensure resident access.
Pop-up clinics
Pop-up clinics are set up at a site for multiple days but are not permanent. Throughout the vaccination rollout, pop-up clinics will be set up in different areas of the city to get the vaccines to people in high-risk areas and where eligible residents may have a harder time accessing a clinic.
Mobile Vaccination Teams
To respond to these challenges while getting the vaccine to the people who need it most, the Emergency Operation Centre has created mobile vaccination teams that include specially trained paramedics, community physicians and public health staff, among others. These teams were deployed to vaccinate residents of long-term care homes and retirement homes.
Throughout the vaccination rollout, mobile vaccination teams will be deployed to reach targeted populations, including homeless and rural residents. They are currently being used to vaccinate residents in retirement homes.
These mobile vaccination teams work closely with Ottawa Public Health and the city’s hospital network. Pharmacists from The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO have been training members of the mobile vaccination teams in the process of vaccine dilution. This is an important step to ensuring the City can roll out the vaccination program in the safest and most efficient manner possible, based on the supply made available by other levels of government.
Is there a list I need to be on to get the vaccine?
No. The City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health will undertake robust public information campaigns to keep residents informed on the vaccine rollout locally.
How will I be notified when it's my turn to get the vaccine?
Right now, vaccine supply is limited. As supply is expected to increase in the coming months, the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health will be communicating through various media channels on who is eligible to present where for vaccination.
Can I volunteer to assist with vaccine distribution?
Ottawa Public Health is seeking physicians and community/primary care immunizers for COVID-19 vaccination at long-term care, retirement homes and other congregate care settings on a volunteer basis. If you or your organization are interested in offering to help support the vaccine rollout as immunizers, please contact COVIDimmunizers@ottawa.ca.
At this time, plans have not been finalized for the use of volunteers to assist with immunization clinics given the availability of vaccine supply remains unknown. However, those looking for information on volunteering can contact COVID19Volunteer@ottawa.ca. If volunteers are needed, you may be contacted to assist.
Other questions
How are we engaging the community and specific groups like Indigenous, seniors, racialized communities? |
Ottawa Public Health has established a local Vaccine Sequence Strategy Task Force to advise the City’s Emergency Operations Centre on how to implement the sequence of vaccines given local context, including maximizing uptake among groups sequenced ahead of others. This Task Force includes representation from groups highly affected by COVID-19, such as newcomers, Indigenous, racialized people, older adults, and healthcare workers. The Vaccine Sequencing Task Force relies on the framework established by the Province of Ontario. |
What can I do now and how can I help? |
It will be several months until a vaccine is available to the general public. In the meantime, it is essential that we all continue to do our part to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in the community: limit your close contacts to those within your household, practice physical distancing, wear a mask, wash your hands, stay home except for essential reasons and follow local and provincial guidance. Until vaccines are widely available, it remains important to take steps to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community against COVID-19. Learn more about things you can do to reduce virus spread by following OPH on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. To keep up-to-date with the latest information, follow “COVID Decoded” with Dr. Trevor Arnason, on OPH’s YouTube channel. |
How long until “things are back to normal”? |
COVID-19 vaccination, along with continued public health measures, will offer the best protection from the spread of COVID-19. Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines afford before determining any change in public health guidelines. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect these decisions. Once a person is vaccinated with the series of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, they should continue following public health measures like wearing a mask, physical distancing and self-isolating when they become sick. |
What mental health resources are available to those feeling anxious about vaccine availability? |
The COVID-19 situation can be very stressful. It is OK to not be OK. If you are in crisis, please contact the Mental Health Crisis Line (24 hours a day/7 days a week) at 613-722-6914 or if outside Ottawa toll-free at 1-866-996-0991. Please visit Ottawa Public Health’s Mental Health and COVID-19 page for an extensive list of resources, including a printable version of a Mental Health and COVID-19 Resource List. |