Delayed Windsor vaccines highlight importance of priority list, mean longer wait times for seniors

Delayed vaccine shipments are raising a number of concerns and uncertainty, but one bioethicist says the issue emphasizes the need for everyone to stick to the priority listing laid out by the provincial government. 

The setback in the vaccine rollout comes as coronavirus hospitalizations in the city soar, and the region's death toll rises.

On Wednesday, health officials in Windsor-Essex said that the rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be delayed due to supply issues that will impact the entire province. As a result, Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) stopped giving out first doses of the vaccine Monday.  It said it had no choice given the "recent and sudden announcements" on shipments. 

This is a week earlier than anticipated. WRH had said during its board meeting Jan. 8 that if it didn't receive more doses, it wouldn't have enough to continue giving the first dose to new people. 

Provincial officials said the supply will be reduced by 80 per cent the week of Jan. 25, 55 per cent the week of Feb. 1 and 45 per cent the week of Feb. 8.

Premier Doug Ford expressed frustration with the delays on Tuesday, saying it was "troubling" and "a massive concern."

 Supply questions

The hospital says the development calls into question previous vaccine commitments, and officials are awaiting further information from the Ministry of Health on what to expect.

This news also comes after authorities at Windsor-Essex hospitals faced backlash for giving out doses of the shot to leadership while front-line workers and those in long-term care and retirement homes were still waiting. 

As of Wednesday, Windsor Regional Hospital said in an emailed statement to CBC News that everyone in phase 1 has been vaccinated, except about 10 per cent or less of the long-term care, retirement home staff, congregate care staff, essential caregivers, higher risk local Indigenous populations and [Erie Shores Healthcare] hospital staff who wanted the vaccine.

At this time, the health unit is still vaccinating long-term care and retirement home residents using the Moderna vaccine. 

Seniors want better vaccine planning 

And while the delay means there might be some disruption to those getting the second shot, it also means that seniors in the community will have to wait even longer to get the vaccine. 

"Seniors are identified along with frontline workers as most vulnerable populations to COVID-19, so the faster we get vaccines into our arms, the safer we'll be and the safer the community will be so yeah it's a big issue," said Larry Duffield, the Windsor-Essex executive of the Canadian Association for Retired Persons (CARP). 

While he acknowledged that it's only temporary, with officials saying that shipments will be back on track by the end of February, he said that still means there will be about a five-week delay. 

Bill VanGorder, chief policy officer of CARP, told CBC News that there needs to be better planning, along with "clear and concise" communication to seniors, specifically those living in the community.  

"They have co-morbidities, they are at risk, their caregivers are risky to them," VanGorder said.

"We need to make sure that they get vaccinated before other parts of the community, deserving as they may be, unless we want to have more of our family and friends die, we've got to get them the vaccine as soon as possible."

Prioritizing the most vulnerable

Bioethicist from the University of Toronto, Kerry Bowman, told CBC News that hospitals shouldn't have been given so much responsibility when it comes to distribution of the vaccine. 

"I get it, hospitals are on the frontlines they're caring for people with COVID-19 but certainly the definition of what a frontline healthcare worker was got really really expanded a lot ... [vaccines] were being used for people that really weren't caring for the most vulnerable people at all," he said. 

"That's a shame, it's a shame in terms of supply and also I think it really sends the wrong message in a crisis to be targeting the wrong people for inoculation."

He said what's happening now only emphasizes the need to prioritize those who are most vulnerable. 

"All we can do at this point is really keep honing in and re-clarifying what our highest priorities are," he said, adding that older Canadians living in the community should be included, though they are currently not listed under phase 1 priority groups.