The Ottawa area's weekly COVID-19 vaccine checkup: March 25

CBC Ottawa is doing a weekly roundup of COVID-19 vaccine developments in the region, every Thursday.

The provinces, health units and health authorities have more information and places to answer questions. You can find thoselinks at the bottom of the page.

Ontario has set wide vaccine guidelines and given health units someflexibility around it. Some, but not all, of the ways the province'shealth units may differ from the province are singled outbelow.

Across Ontario

This week,Ontario started offering appointmentsto people born in or before 1946,and in its three regions with pharmacy pilot projects to thoseborn in or before 1961.

Premier Doug Fordhinted Monday that anext round of expansion will focus on Toronto as well asYorkand Peel regions. The province saidmore details would be shared "in the coming days."

It has not moved fully to Phase 2 of its three-phase vaccine plan, though it has started vaccinating some of the groups covered by it, such as individuals aged75 to 79 mentioned above.

Ottawa

Ottawa opened two more vaccine clinics at city hall and in Kanata, andplans six rural pop-up clinic. It's handling some glitches with the provincial system around double booking and second doses.

• Loved ones worried about low staff vaccination rates at nursing homes
• Here's how your Ottawa nursing home is doing with vaccinations

On Friday, itsvaccine eligibility movedto Indigenous people age 40 and above. Afamily clinic was just announced for next month.

The cityhas given about 100,000 doses out of its population of about 1,050,000.Keep in mind here and in the other health units thatmany groups of people are not yet eligible.

Renfrew County

Renfrew County's medical officer of health said this week thatsupply problems areleading it to a different vaccine strategycompared tohealth units with large cities.

• Vaccine supply not keeping up with demand, say health officials

The county is vaccinating all health-care workers andIndigenous people 18 years old and over, but is not yet able to vaccinate people 75 to 79. Anyone in that age group can register to get an appointment when vaccines are available.

It has given about 11,500 doses, according to Dr. Robert Cushman, out of a population of about 109,000 people.

Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington

One of the regions involved inOntario's pharmacy pilot projectis theKingstonarea, which has administered more doses to people 60 to 64 than any other age group.

Otherwise, it's generally following the province's plan.

The region, with a population of about 213,000,has given more than 35,000 vaccine doses to residents.

Eastern Ontario Health Unit

The EOHU is generally following the province's plan.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said Mondaythe health unitwill expand existing vaccine clinics to include more stations as therollout expands.

Among a population of about 209,000, about 20,000 vaccine doses have been administered.

Hastings Prince Edward

The health unit for the Belleville area said this week it is finishing vaccinating at retirement homes, its high-priority health-care workers andIndigenous adults.

A new clinic is opening Monday at Trenton's Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens.

Second doses are going ahead as scheduled in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

The unit, which a population of about 168,000, has administeredabout 22,000 vaccine doses.

Leeds, Grenville and Lanark

LGLhas said it wants to finish planning both pop-up clinics in smaller communities to go with its four current locations, andhow in-home vaccines will work.

It, unlike the other health units, shares how many people it has vaccinated: about 14,000 have had at least one dose.

There's a population of about 173,000.

Western Quebec

In western Quebec, Health Minister Christian Dubsaid Tuesday the province is sending about 3,500 more doses to the Outaouaisin the next two weeks, saying it's a younger region overall that didn't get as many doses as older regions at first.

It has given more than 28,000vaccine doses among a population of about 386,000.

For Grenville-sur-la-Rouge technically in the Laurentians health authority, but within CBC Ottawa's coverage arearesidents can make appointments for apharmacy vaccinestarting Monday and get those vaccines starting April 5.