City poised to complete first round of vaccinations in long-term care homes

OTTAWA — The city is poised to reach a big milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with all long-term care homes expected to have their first round of shots finished by the end of Friday.

Mayor Jim Watson delivered the news early Friday afternoon.

Vaccinations of long-term care residents began last week, when a mobile team administered shots at the Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre. The teams fanned out across the city's 28 long-term care homes in the following days.

The progress clears the way for residents to be fully vaccinated within three weeks, when they receive their second doses. The focus of the vaccination program now turns to the 90 retirement homes across the city.

Ottawa Public Health called it a 'truly incredible milestone.'

Long-term care homes have been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ottawa was the first city in the province to transport doses of the Pfizer vaccine outside of hospitals to administer at long-term care homes.