Pharmacies gearing up to deliver vaccine - but only for a small cohort

Jeff Green | Mar 04, 2021

(Update to the following - subsequent to the media panel that was the source of the information below, the News has learned that the pharmacy pilot project in KFL&A  will be expanding beyond the initial ten locations that were originally envisioned. Some pharmacists that we have talked to are waiting for final confirmation that they will be receiving vaccine. The Sharbot Lake Pharmasave is providing an online reservation platform (click to access) that anyone can access. The minimum shipment of Astra-Zeneca to one location is 500 doses, which should be arriving next week. It will be offered to 60-64 year old people, and the list created by their reservation platform is one of the means that the Sharbot Lake (SL) Pharmasave will use to identify who they will be offering the vaccine to. The platform is open to people of all ages and all locations, but only the 60-64 year olds who fill in the form can expect to be offered a vaccine in March,  regardless of where they live. The system is set up for a single dose only.  The SL Pharmasave is encouraging people to use the electronic form and not to call the pharmacy about their vaccination program.

We will update this page as new information becomes available from other pharmacies and primary care clinics

Dr. Kieran Moore, the medical officer of health for Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFLAPH), told a media panel on Thursday that the region is part of a pilot project that will bring vaccine to pharmacies in the region, including some in rural areas, as early as next week.

“It is the Astra-Zeneca vaccine that will be made available for this pilot because it is easier to transport and store than the other vaccines that have been approved,” he said.

He said that negotiations are still underway with the pharmacies, so he can not announce which ones are involved just yet.

He also said that the target cohort for this pilot project will be people aged 60-64. The reason that group is being targeted is that they are the oldest group for whom the Astra-Zeneca, vaccine has been shown to be effective.

Pharmacies who participate in the program will be asked to make a commitment to be able to vaccinate at least 40 people per day.

“We are targeting pharmacies in areas that are some distance from primary care clinics,” he said.

He also said that KFLAPH is actively pursuing another pilot project to engage primary care clinics in the vaccination program.

“We have very strong partnerships with primary care physicians, and they help deliver the seasonal flu shot. With the J&J [Johnson and Johnson] vaccine approval coming soon we hope, it will give us four vaccines and we will really be able to get more shots in more arms.”

The mass vaccination clinic that opened on Monday at the Invista Centre in Kingston, provided 1200 vaccinations on Wednesday

He said that while pharmacies and primary care clinics will be able to do their own booking for vaccination, they will have to enter all of the data on the province-wide vaccination portal.

The portal is being tested in KFL&A this week, using patient lists for people aged 80 or over that have been provided by selected primary care clinics in the region. The system will be available to all Ontarians who are 80 and over starting on March 15.

Dr. Moore said that he expects the combination of the mass clinics in Kingston and Napanee, the pop-up clinics being offered in Northbrook, Sharbot Lake, and likely in Harrowsmith, and vaccinations offered in pharmacies and primary care, will allow for a rapid acceleration of the vaccination program locally. If the supply comes in as hoped, KFLAPH expects to be have enough capacity locally to be offering vaccine to everyone who wants it by the beginning of July.

“Because we have done well throughout the pandemic, we have been receiving less vaccine than other regions. That's why we are jumping on any pilot that is out there right now, said Dr. Moore. “That way, when the vaccine supply is there, we will be ready.

The vaccination program in long term care facilities is nearing completion and crew will be visiting retirement homes to offer vaccine over the next three weeks.

Delivering vaccine to people who are too frail to leave their homes will only take place when a vaccine that can be transported easily comes on stream, according to Dr. Moore  (Note the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which is stable at higher temperatures, was approved in Canada on Friday, March 5)

While KFLAPH anticipates a rapid roll-out and high uptake of vaccine through the spring months, there is still a concern about the public health risk posed to the local population over the next few weeks.

KFLAPH has imposed an order restricting public activity around St. Patrick's Day, traditionally a period when there are large gatherings in the City of Kingston, particularly among Queen's students. At this time, KFL&A is the only jurisdiction in Ontario to have put such an order in place.