Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force is being disbanded

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This article was published 27/08/2021 (1842 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ontario is disbanding its COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force as the province struggles to increase vaccination levels with the more highly contagious Delta variant pushing cases higher.

The move announced Friday by Premier Doug Ford comes with 75.5 per cent of eligible Ontarians over age 12 fully vaccinated, and chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore setting a goal of at least 90 per cent to get the virus under better control.

Formed last November and with its term scheduled to expire Aug. 31, the task force was comprised of medical and logistical experts, including infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the University Health Network, and was led in its early days by retired general Rick Hillier.

The 10-member task force was charged with developing a strategy to store, distribute and deliver vaccine across the province in an effort that was criticized for being too slow to open online and telephone booking systems and met snags when shipments from manufacturers were delayed.

“The job isn’t done,” Bogoch wrote Friday on Twitter as Ontario reported 781 new infections, the highest number since the first week of June.

“There are still ongoing vaccine-related issues that need to be addressed, like boosters, those under 12, outreach to unvaccinated populations, certificates, etc. The public health leadership in the province will be tackling those issues and more.”

About two million adults in the province have not been vaccinated. The seven-day average of new cases has risen to 665, more than triple the level of 189 at the beginning of the month. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have also tripled this month, to 306 patients reported Friday with 158 in intensive care, half of them on ventilators and most unvaccinated.

New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath has urged the government to unveil a plan for quickly getting shots in the arms of children under 12, who are not yet eligible, once Health Canada approves vaccines for that age group. The federal agency is waiting for data from clinical trials and many physicians expect approval by the end of the year.

She accused Ford of disbanding the task force and “crossing his fingers.”

“We are facing a fourth wave, and we need to use every tool available to keep Ontario families safe and our schools and economy open,” Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca added in a statement.

The government said the vaccine effort will continue to be run by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, headed by Sylvia Jones, with help from Health Minister Christine Elliott and the chief medical officer.

A “last-mile” strategy to reach more people was announced last week. It includes more mobile and pop-up clinics for undervaccinated areas, and two GO Transit buses that have been turned into roaming vaccination clinics.

Ford, who has not held a news conference since July 30, said in a statement Friday that the task force leaves the province “well positioned for the future … as we continue to make every effort to get as many people vaccinated as possible.”

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1