TORONTO — Ontario plans to vaccinate all long-term care residents, workers and essential caregivers in COVID-19 hot spots by Jan. 21.
The province says those living and working in nursing homes in Toronto, Peel Region, York Region and Windsor-Essex will be immunized by that date.
The province also says it will start administering COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario's Indigenous communities later this week.
The Ontario government has faced criticism for its vaccine rollout in recent weeks, with some saying the province isn't doling out doses fast enough.
Ontario says that so far, approximately 50,000 residents have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while nearly 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have also been administered.
The government says it has established 44 immunization sites to deliver the vaccines across the province.
The Pfizer-BioNTech shot is largely being given out in hospitals to health-care workers due to its storage requirements while the Moderna shot is being used in long-term care homes.
The government says Ontario expects two million COVID-19 vaccine doses to arrive throughout the winter.
The province reported 3,128 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 51 new deaths due to the virus.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said there were 778 new cases in Toronto, 614 in Peel Region and 213 in York Region.
In total, 1,347 people are hospitalized in Ontario due to COVID-19, including 325 in intensive care. The province also said 245 people are on ventilators in hospital.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2021.
The Canadian Press
