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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 28 ,2 02 1 | 8 221 Miller Dr., Georgetown 905-873-6776 • GenesisHealthTeam.com InPerson, Phone & Virtual Appts WALK-IN & FAMILY CLINIC FLU VACCINE AVAILABLE Call today! Open 7 Days a Week Where good health begins Dental Implants It feels great to smile with Available here... New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Marketplace Dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com • Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. Call for Applicants: Public Art Advisory Board Represent your local arts community! Members provide input on public art projects & policies. Qualifications for this volunteer position: • Strong connection to the local arts & culture sector. • Practicing artist with demonstrated experience, skill & training. • Experience working on a community-based team. • Over 18 years of age & a resident of Halton Hills. Deadline to apply: 8:30 a.m. on Monday, February 15, 2021 Visit haltonhills.ca/publicart for full details & application process. The Region is calling on the federal government to accelerate the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines for lo- cal residents and all Cana- dians. A motion to that effect was unanimously passed by regional council during its Jan. 20 session, coming on the heels of news that shipments of the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine into Canada are facing reduc- tions and delays by the manufacturer in the com- ing weeks. "We have a responsibili- ty to stand up for our resi- dents and do everything we can to keep them safe," said Regional Chair Gary Carr, who put the motion for- ward with Oakville Coun- cillor Allan Elgar. "Our public health team and many partners have been working so hard to get these life-saving vaccines to our most vulnerable populations. There is tre- mendous planning that happens behind the scenes, and without the ongoing, predictable supply of vac- cines, their plans are forced to change and the risk of severe illness or death rises." While some councillors contended the federal gov- ernment has left no stone unturned to get the vac- cines here as quickly as possible, the consensus was to put pressure on those in Ottawa to expedite the situation. Once the vaccines are in the country, they're dis- tributed to each province. The provincial govern- ment then has to prioritize where the doses will go, and which part of the pop- ulation will receive them first. The current priority is to immunize residents, staff and essential care- givers in long-term care and high-risk retirement homes. During the meeting, Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Megh- ani detailed the challenges the local vaccine program has faced so far. She said Halton Public Health was preparing for a shipment of the Moderna vaccine to roll out immuni- zations at long-term care and retirements homes, but the Province ended up reallocating Halton's share of the supply to harder-hit areas of Ontario. Health officials then had less than a week to work with Halton Health- care -- which is operating its own vaccination clinic for priority populations -- to determine a method to safely transport the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine that re- quires ultra-cold storage from the hospital to local long-term care homes. "We continue to manage this one supply of vaccine with our hospital partners and have not received any additional allocations of ei- ther vaccine," Meghani said. Despite the hurdles, the Region managed to forge ahead with its mobile vac- cination teams and hopes to finish immunizing all long-term care home resi- dents by Jan. 23. Halton's COVID-19 Vaccine Com- mittee also has plans in the works for immunization clinics down the road when the inoculation is more widely available. The motion passed by council asks the federal and provincial govern- ments to clearly and con- sistently communicate with the public on who's prioritized to receive the vaccine, and the timing of vaccine delivery. For further details visit halton.ca/COVID19. NEWS REGION PUSHING FEDS TO SPEED UP VACCINE DELIVERY MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA