COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment in the Greater Toronto Area: a historic moment
Amanda Marcinowska, Graduate student in Family Medicine at McGill University
and COVID-19 Vaccine Support Associate at Trillium Health Partners
The deployment of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine in the Greater Toronto Area is a historic moment for healthcare workers, patients and communities as it is an important step towards safer and healthier communities during the times of fear and uncertainty resulting from the global pandemic. Trillium Health Partners, the hospital system serving Mississauga and West Toronto, was designated by the Ontario Government as one of the hospitals in the province to administer the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine was the first COVID-19 vaccine to be available at Trillium Health Partners.
On December 21, 2020, Trillium Health Partners has opened its doors to its first vaccine clinic patient, a healthcare worker from a long-term care home that has been highly impacted by COVID-19. The registered nurse was the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Trillium Health Partners.
The first patient to receive the vaccine at Trillium Health Partners was congratulated by the hospital staff who clapped and shared words of encouragement and hope.
The COVID-19 vaccine is currently being administered at Trillium Health Partners to priority groups including long-term care home workers, essential caregivers, and hospital staff working in high-risk units.
The administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is made possible by a dedicated team of staff who come together to place the patient at the center of their vision for a healthier community.
Pharmacists are an essential part of the team throughout the COVID-19 vaccine deployment. They have an important role in vaccine safety, storing the vaccine appropriately under the right conditions, measuring and labeling doses accurately to ensure patients receive the appropriate dose.
Paramedics arrived at the vaccine clinic to receive their first dose of the vaccine. They also received training from our staff on our essential vaccine clinic roles, including verifying eligibility to receive a dose, taking patient information, checking IDs, obtaining consent, checking-in patients for their appointments, administering the Covid-19 vaccine to patients, monitoring patients, documenting any adverse reactions after the patients received the vaccine or contraindications prior to the vaccine, providing a vaccine record and vaccine after-care information, and scheduling follow-up patient appointments for their second dose, all while ensuring a positive patient experience.
Amanda Marcinowska takes patient information from a patient who arrived at the immunization clinic for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while training a paramedic. Photo taken by Gage Fletcher.
General Rick Hillier, the Chair of the COVID-19 Distribution Task Force in Ontario toured the vaccine clinic at one of Trillium Health Partner’s sites and shared his opinion of the significance of the vaccine deployment and its progress.
As of January 20, 2021, Trillium Health Partners has administered over ten thousand vaccines to priority groups identified by the government. This is an important milestone towards achieving our goal to protect the community.
Patients left messages of how they felt after being vaccinated. Words like “Relief”, “Thankful”, “Great”, “Fantastic”, “Blessed” filled the board. It is clear the patients were happy to receive the vaccine and excitement was present.
The community is taking step in the right direction towards protecting themselves and others around them through getting vaccinated. Despite the progress being made, it is imperative to continue proper hand hygiene, wearing masks, and practicing physical distancing to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
The Covid-19 vaccine deployment was and continues to be a means to strengthen the community and provides hope for a healthier community and brighter future.
About the Author
Amanda Marcinowska is a graduate student in Family Medicine and Primary Care at McGill University, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. Prior to graduate studies, Amanda completed a BSc in Biology for Health Sciences and Psychology at the University of Toronto. She currently is working as a COVID-19 Vaccine Support Associate at Trillium Health Partners to help with the vaccine delivery to populations who are vulnerable to the coronavirus including healthcare workers in long-term care homes, retirement homes, and hospital staff.