Delayed Pfizer shipments have now arrived in Durham Region

A delayed shipment of Pfizer vaccinations is now in the hands of Durham Region health officials, allowing them resume providing the vaccine at three mass vaccination clinics and bump up production at another.

Durham Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Kyle said the delay resulted in his department administering the Moderna vaccine at clinics in Ajax (Audley Recreation Centre), Oshawa (Ontario Tech Campus Ice Centre) and Bowmanville (Garnett Rickard Recreation Complex).

Clinics in north Durham and McKinney Centre, Whitby, will remain unchanged and continue to administer the Moderna vaccine.

The Health Department has also received an additional supply of Moderna vaccine which has allowed an increase in daily appointments to 1,550 from the current 940 at Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex, Pickering, which will now only offer Moderna vaccine.

As Durham Region was recently identified as a Delta hot spot, Kyle said it is “crucial” to get “as many residents fully immunized as quickly as possible to ensure an optimal level of protection and to help in slowing the rate of transmission within our community.”

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has indicated that both mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) provide proven protection against COVID-19 and are safe and effective to be used interchangeably. Both vaccines are authorized for use in Canada, work the same way and are highly effective.

Individuals 12 to 17-years old will continue to be vaccinated with Pfizer vaccine, as Pfizer is the only vaccine approved in Canada for this age group. Youth who had appointments booked at the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex clinic site will be contacted by Health Department staff to discuss options for booking at other clinics where Pfizer is offered.

Appointments are available for booking at www.durham.ca/vaccineappointment or by contacting the call centre at 1-888-444-5113.

Durham reported just nine new cases of Covid-19 today, with three of them of the Delta variant.

Vaccinations now total more than 600,000 in the Region, with 72.6 per cent of the adult population having one dose and 28.2 per cent fully vaccinated.