Province expanding vaccination program to paramedics, emergency medical responders

Jan 11, 2021 | 6:07 PM

EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the province is ramping up and expanding COVID-19 vaccinations to include paramedics and other emergency service workers.

Kenney says almost 47,000 doses have been administered to front-line health and intensive care workers, including doctors and nurses, and to residents in long-term care homes and supportive living facilities.

He says the goal is to vaccinate about 200,000 Albertans a week by the end of March.

“We are ramping up our capacity to ensure no matter how many vaccines arrive in Alberta, there are people lined up ready to receive them and health-care workers ready to administer them,” said Kenney. “Our main constraint is the available supply of vaccines.”

Alberta has used about three-quarters of the stock made available from the federal government and is urging Ottawa to find and ship more.

“The bottom line is this, Alberta’s capacity to give people the jab will soon outstrip available supplies. And we’re doing everything humanly possible to roll out these life-saving vaccines as quickly as they arrive.”

Kenney says, at the current rate, the province will run out of the current vaccination shipment some time next week.

Health-care workers who are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine include:

Health-care workers in COVID-19 units, medical and surgical units, and operating rooms
Health-care workers in emergency departments
Home-care workers
Staff of long-term care and designated supportive living facilities
Respiratory therapists
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

(The Canadian Press)

by Canadian Press