Lambton's medical officer of health says they have permission to move the Pfizer vaccine as they see fit, when supplies arrive.
Dr. Sudit Ranade had initially expressed concern that the vaccine, unlike its Moderna counterpart, would have to be kept in ultra-cold storage with people having to move to it for inoculation.
He told Sue Storr on CHOK (103.9 FM, 1070 AM) Thursday morning that they're currently basing their rollout plans on receiving the first shipment the week of February 1.
"Shipping logistics and all of those kinds of things take a bit of time," said Dr. Ranade. "Having said that, we're small enough that when we get it, we can make a plan to move it around to the places it needs to go especially now that we know that we have permission to move that Pfizer vaccine. That's a big deal."
Dr. Ranade said phase one of the local rollout will see vaccine distributed to the most vulnerable group, residents and staff of long-term care and retirement homes.
"Phase two is going to be the other priority populations that have been identified by the province," he said. "I believe so far those are adults in First Nations communities, healthcare workers and essential workers. Where the priorities are among them is probably still yet to be determined. The last piece then is to start scaling it up to the broader population."
Dr. Ranade said it's possible the first shipment of vaccine could arrive earlier than the first week of February or later. He said when they have a specific date, they'll be able to provide immunizations within 24 hours.
-With files from Sue Storr
