High demand for limited supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at Ottawa pharmacies

Moderna arrives at Ottawa pharmacies Demand is high for appointments as Moderna arrives at select pharmacies in Ottawa. CTV’s Leah Larocque reports.

OTTAWA — As Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shipments began arriving at Ottawa pharmacies in hot spot postal codes, two pharmacies expect to run out of doses within 24 hours.

Bridle Path Pharmacy on Bridle Path Drive and Promed Pharmacy on Alta Vista Drive each received 100 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Friday as part of a pilot project with the Ontario government.

Five Ottawa pharmacies in designated COVID-19 hot spot postal codes K1T and K1V are scheduled to receive a shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Friday. Residents 18 and older are eligible to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Ottawa pharmacies.

"It is very hard for me to see those people are very vulnerable and they want the vaccine so badly," said Pharmacist Mai Helmi of Bridle Path Pharmacy. "But the supply is limited."

The first shipment of Moderna vaccine arrived at Bridle Path Pharmacy on Friday.

"It has to wait in here for two and a half hours," said Helmi about the process before the doses can be administered.

Helmi tells CTV News Ottawa appointments for all 100 Moderna vaccines are booked, and all doses will be administered by Saturday.

There are 1,000 people on the waiting list for a COVID-19 vaccine at Bridle Path Pharmacy, while 3,000 names are on the list for a vaccine at Promed Pharmacy.

"Getting the vaccine we want to make sure we reach that herd immunity," said Lubna Fawaz of Promed Pharmacy, administering the Moderna vaccine to Francois Charette Friday afternoon.

"Thank you for participating in this so that we can end the pandemic."

Charette received the first dose of Moderna vaccine, and booked an appointment for a second dose at a later date.

Both Bridle Path Pharmacy and Promed Pharmacy expect to receive 100 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine each week during a three-week pilot project.

As of Friday, 43 per cent of Ottawa residents over the age of 18 had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here is the list of Ottawa pharmacies offering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine:

KIT

K1V