Dear Members,
This week, the Public Health Agency of Canada released Canada’s COVID-19 immunization plan, and Health Canada approved our first COVID-19 vaccine. Both represent significant progress in our COVID-19 efforts and are a testament to our scientific community worldwide and the power of unity.
As provinces look to deploy vaccines, your voice and the role of primary care will be critical. We have shared challenges ahead before hopefully moving to a post-pandemic era, among them logistics, vaccine hesitancy, and more. We know there is no greater antidote to vaccine hesitancy than advice from someone we trust; for most Ontarians, that means a community’s primary care professional.
Although there is no primary care (or public health) representation on the Ontario Ministers’ COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, we are working hard to influence and connect with them for the benefit of Ontarians. Partnering with our primary care associations and representatives, we will ensure your community’s needs are heard and that they inform the Task Force’s decisions.
The Task Force is yet to release details regarding its COVID-19 vaccination plan. What we understand is that healthcare workers will be in the first priority group, along with the highest risk members of the population. It is likely that the long-term care sector will be prioritized ahead of community-based primary care settings, but we know that availability of vaccines will increase substantially over the coming months.
We believe it is critical that all of us get vaccinated for at least three reasons:
- to protect ourselves and our loved ones
- to protect our patients, as well as their families and caregivers
- to act as role models for our communities
The details on how you will access the vaccine for yourselves and your practices is still to be determined. As you have likely heard, there are challenges related to availability and logistics. We understand that the details will be available soon. We are connected with relevant stakeholders and members of the Task Force, and we will share details as soon as we have them.
In the meantime, working collaboratively, we are creating educational materials to understand the vaccine, and to help you have these discussions in your communities. We are also working with stakeholders across Ontario and Canada to ensure you have the resources and support you need to care for your patients.
Our ask: To help us prepare, we ask you to please complete this important survey from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) so that we can fully understand your needs, unique challenges, and opportunities as they relate to undertaking the most important vaccine program in our recent history. Please also reach out to us if you have ideas beyond the survey.
PHAC is also planning a series of national webinars for health professionals. To register for the first webinar, “COVID-19 Vaccine Foundations for Health Care Providers,” please click on one of the following options:
- Hosted by The National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases – December 10, 2020 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. EST
- Hosted by The Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada – December 14, 2020 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST
- Hosted by the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (in French) – December 15, 2020 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST
Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, will provide the opening remarks on December 14th. We will also complement their webinars with tailored materials for your practices, patients, communities and more.
Thank you for completing the survey, and helping us learn more about your needs. We will share more information as soon as we can.
Sincerely,
Dr. Allan Grill Kavita Mehta
Chair and President, AFHTO Chief Executive Officer, AFHTO
In unity with our dedicated partners in Ontario’s primary care:
- Alliance for Healthier Communities
- Indigenous Primary Health Care Council
- Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario
- Ontario College of Family Physicians
- Ontario College of Pharmacists
- Ontario Medical Association Section of General and Family Practice
- Ontario’s Academic Chairs of Family Medicine
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