Today, Dr. Nicola Mercer, Medical Officer of Health and CEO for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, announced that WDG Public Health can begin vaccinating individuals within 24 hours of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine from the Province.
“We have been preparing since July to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Mercer. “This vaccination program will be one of the largest projects ever carried out by WDG Public Health – and we are ready.”
Developing a plan of this size involved many areas of the agency including facility upgrades, equipment acquisition, logistical and additional staff training to ensure that when the vaccine is delivered to our region it can be quickly and effectively distributed to those identified to receive it.
A significant part of the plan was ensuring the infrastructure is in place to safely and securely receive and store the vaccine. WDG Public Health now has both vaccine refrigerators and ultra-low freezers for vaccine storage. With these in place, WDG Public Health now has the capacity to store 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and nearly one million refrigerated vaccines.
In addition to the infrastructure planning, the expert public health nurses on the immunization team have been trained to deliver the vaccine. These preparations will help ensure that every person who wants a COVID-19 vaccine in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph region will receive one.
“Our region remains at high risk for COVID-19,” said Dr. Mercer. “Our entire agency and our partners stand ready to help provide the vaccine, protect the most vulnerable members of our community, ensure the safety of our healthcare colleagues and move to the end of this pandemic. The moment the vaccine arrives, we are ready.”
Media Contact
Danny Williamson
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
1-800-265-7293 ext. 4376