Renfrew County health unit demanding more AstraZeneca supply to speed up COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Posted Jun 15, 2021 02:00:35 PM.
The top doctor for Renfrew County is frustrated about the Ontario government's decision to shorten the minimum interval between Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses, because his region isn't getting the supply needed.
Medical Officer of Health for the Renfrew County District Health Unit (RCDHU) Dr. Robert Cushman says, while shortening the interval from 12 weeks to eight weeks is a good idea in theory, it isn't practical.
“Practically, it's going to be difficult, because, as you know, we don't have enough vaccines,” Dr. Cushman tells CityNews Ottawa. “It's going to create some competition for appointment slots, so people are going to have to be patient, because I know this is bothersome.”
Dr. Cushman says, he has heard rumours that more vaccines are on the way for the RCDHU region, but the province hasn't made an confirmations.
“Our hope is that we will get more vaccines in the upcoming week,” Dr. Cushman tells CityNews Ottawa. “There's talk of more vaccines due to arrive, although we haven't had a concrete commitment to more vaccines above and beyond the 6,000 we get a week, plus what the pharmacists gets.”
For now, Dr. Cushman is encouraging residents to reach out to their local pharmacies to see if they have available appointments, instead of trying to book through the provincial system.
“They'll probably tell you the name of a pharmacist and the number of pharmacist nearby, because there are basically two streams here, and people should do what they can to take advantage of whichever one they can get through,” Dr. Cushman said.
