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Another local COVID-19 patient has died, as Niagara pharmacies have begun distributing Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The death brings to at least 411 the number of Niagara residents who have died since the pandemic began, based on data from public health and Niagara Health hospitals.
There were 152 new cases of the coronavirus reported during the weekend — 96 Saturday and 56 Sunday.
While active cases of the virus dropped to 1,406, the hospital’s intensive care unit remains strained. On Sunday, the ICU was at 164 per cent capacity compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Of 54 patients being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, 23 were in intensive care units in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls hospitals. Niagara hospitals typically have 14 ICU beds, but 12 more were opened in April to accommodate COVID-19 patients.
Although pharmacies all but stopped offering COVID-19 shots last week — the province put a hold on distributing AstraZeneca vaccine due to concern about rare blood clots that have developed among people who received it — that changed Friday.
Pharmacist Sean Simpson, a member of the region’s COVID-19 vaccination task force, said several local pharmacies have begun inoculating patients using Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
“This is what we’ve advocated for, at least from my perspective, from the very beginning,” Simpson said.
Niagara pharmacies administered 733 doses on Saturday, pushing the total vaccines distributed that day to 4,084, with 1,668 doses provided by Niagara Health and 1,609 provided by public health.
Vaccine Hunters Canada, a volunteer organization that assists people across the country navigate the vaccine rollout, promoted a vaccine clinic at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Lakeshore Road in St. Catharines Sunday, where 50 doses of Moderna vaccine were being provided to patients 40 and older. The organization posted a message on Twitter, urging people to register on the pharmacy’s website.
Simpson said participating pharmacies will each be receiving about 100 doses of Moderna each week, and the stores that are getting Pfizer can expect 150 doses each week.
Despite concerns about the need to freeze Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for transportation and long-term storage, Simpson said unopened vials of Moderna vaccine can be stored in a fridge for 30 days, while the Pfizer vaccine’s shelf-life is five days.
Vials of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines must be used up entirely once they’re opened, while open vials of AstraZeneca can be stored in a fridge overnight.
“This is where the challenge is, making sure we use up every last dose,” Simpson said.
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“We might have to work a little harder so at the end of the day we have to scramble” to ensure there are no doses left over.
“We’ll be actively watching our dose count and our appointments. If we have to, we will bring in someone who is booked for another day,” he said. “We will make sure no dose gets wasted.”
Niagara pharmacies resume vaccine distribution | StCatharinesStandard.ca - StCatharinesStandard.ca
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