The number of COVID-19 tests completed each day in Ontario is steadily dropping, despite warnings from experts that the province actually needs to ramp up testing if it wants to successfully reopen this summer and avoid a fourth wave.
Posted: Apr 16, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: April 16
Although it has the infrastructure to administer vaccine shots, Finch-Weston Medical Pharmacy in Toronto s Humbermede neighbourhood doesn t qualify for vaccine rollout based on the province’s selection criteria. (Dave MacIntosh)
A month after Ontario began shipping COVID-19 vaccines to pharmacies around the province, an analysis by CBC News shows some of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods are still waiting while other communities with lower infection rates have a disproportionately high number of pharmacies offering shots.
The disparity suggests a shortcoming in what the province considers a key pillar of its vaccination program.
The Ministry of Health says by the end of the week, it intends to have authorized 1,400 pharmacies around the province to administer the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine. It has been increasing the number of locations by hundreds at a time since March 10.
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