Ford defends vaccine rollout amid confusion over hotspot vaccinations | FULL

Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended the province's vaccine rollout on Tuesday as people continue to raise questions over when people can get vaccinated following his announcement about those aged 18 and older being able to get a shot if living in a hot spot neighbourhood. He said that the process was simple and added that people who had already been vaccinated did not find it confusing.

Last week, Ford said that anyone 18 or older would be able to get a vaccine if living in a high-risk hot spot area, as defined by postal codes, but questions were raised for those under 50 as to how they could actually book an appointment. Earlier Tuesday, officials provided more details, saying those 18 and older would be eligible to receive a vaccine as part of mobile or pop-up clinics.

Ford was joined on Tuesday by Health Minister Christine Elliott and solicitor general Sylvia Jones.

Asked about relying on businesses to volunteer to set up a vaccine clinic for their employees in high-risk businesses as opposed to going to health units, Ford said the employer-hosted vaccine clinics were a "co-ordinated effort" by hospitals, public health units and organizations reaching out to the government and vice versa. Jones added they're encouraging businesses to be involved for speed. Workplaces will be selected based on being in a hot spot, having employees who can't work from home, having had a previous outbreak or being at risk of outbreaks, and having workers who primarily reside in hot spots.

Ford and Elliott also responded to a question about the pause of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. and said they were both concerned. But they added the province had not received any doses of the shot to use yet. They said they would be consulting with the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and Health Canada before using the vaccine on anyone to ensure safety once it is received in the province.

On Tuesday, the province reported 3,670 new COVID-19 cases, a drop from the previous day. There are currently 1,822 people hospitalized, with an all-time high of 626 patients in intensive care units, and 422 patients in the ICU on a ventilator.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7754533/ontario-critical-care-beds-hospitals-covid/

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