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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, D ec em be r 24 ,2 02 0 | 18 ing the Ministry of Health as they execute the largest immuniza- tion rollout in a generation," said HHC president and CEO Denise Hardenne. "We are working closely with the provincial gov- ernment, Halton Region Public Health and our local healthcare partners to operationalize the centre in a safe and secure man- ner." According to Oakville MP An- ita Anand -- who's also Canada's procurement minister and has overseen the process of securing COVID-19 vaccines for the entire country -- local residents can ex- pect to have widespread access to the inoculation by next fall, if all goes well with Health Canada ap- provals. "We are on track to receive 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in December, with millions of more doses coming in the new year," she said, noting any Cana- dian who wishes to be immunized will have access to the vaccine by the end of September 2021. The federal government has reached bilateral agreements with seven vaccine manufactur- ers and suppliers, noted Anand, securing up to 414 million doses for the country's population of 38 million. The Public Health Agency of Canada will distribute the vac- cines to provinces and territories on a per capita basis, she said. Halton's mayors recently took part in a vaccine rollout strategy meeting with provincial officials. The Ontario government has crafted a three-part rollout plan, explained Meghani during De- cember's session of regional council. "Phase one is estimated to pro- vide over two million doses of the vaccines to priority groups in two pilot sites, followed by an expan- sion to approximately 21 hospi- tals across the province," she said. "As the stock of vaccine in- creases, phase two of the plan will expand to other priority groups, such as home care pa- tients with chronic conditions, and include an expansion in vac- cination sites. Phase three will see the vaccine widely distribut- ed to all Ontarians." With the two leading vaccines requiring extremely cold temper- atures for transport, a Milton business known for its Flash- Freeze innovation has stepped up to the plate with a potential solu- tion. "We developed a technology six years ago that uses liquid ni- trogen to basically keep very pre- cise cold temperatures well be- low zero," explained Michael Stu- paryk, director of business devel- opment at Advanced Test and Automation (ATA). "We thought, maybe we can adapt this technol- ogy to help with vaccine cold storage and transport." ATA is crafting a line of prod- ucts ranging from a 25-litre por- table container to a full-size up- right freezer that harness the power of liquid nitrogen to keep vaccines at just the right temper- ature -- from -80 degrees Celsius for the Pfizer vaccine all the way up to +8 degrees Celsius for other future vaccines. ATA is no stranger to helping out during the pandemic, with the company joining the Canadi- an ventilator effort in April, mak- ing components and testing ma- jor modules. "Shifting our focus to this (freezers) is another way we can continue to help provide engi- neering resources during the pandemic," said Stuparyk. While some may contend the vaccines can't possibly be safe due to their quick turnaround time, Anand said she has full con- fidence in the advice of the ex- perts at Health Canada. "Their role is to ensure any vaccine that would be distributed is safe and effective for Canadi- ans. All of our contracts are con- tingent on Health Canada ap- proval of the vaccine," she said. "No vaccine will be distributed without that independent scien- tific review of the vaccine itself. That provides me with the com- fort I need to actually take the vaccine, which I intend to do." After those who wish to be im- munized do so, Meghani said they will still need to follow pub- lic health protocols, such as wearing a mask and physical dis- tancing. "These are early days for this vaccine, and we have a long road ahead to achieving herd immuni- ty and understanding how it pro- tects others," she said. "It's im- portant to remember that our col- lective efforts remain critical at this time and throughout 2021, and we should not let our guards down." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With coronavirus case numbers continuing to rise in Halton and beyond, we took a closer look at when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available for local residents and the steps health officials are taking to prepare for the immunizations. NEWS MP Anita Anand is the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, in charge of obtaining COVID-19 vaccines and PPE for all of Canada. Graham Paine/Metroland Continued from page 3 COMPREHENSIVE VACCINATION PLAN SET "It's important to remember that our collective efforts remain critical at this time and throughout 2021, and we should not let our guards down." - Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Meghani