Here is the vaccination plan for Newfoundland and Labrador - Action News
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Here is the vaccination plan for Newfoundland and Labrador

Phase 2 groups include first responders, rotational workers and truck drivers, while Phase 3 is people aged 16 to 55.

Phase 1 included essential healthcare workers and long-term care residents

Essential health-care workers, like this one in Central Health, were among the first people to get the vaccine in Newfoundland and Labrador. (Central Health/Twitter)

The vaccination plan for people in Newfoundland and Labrador is now public, outlining who will get the two-shot inoculationsin Phase 2 and Phase 3.

The new information comes on the same day thatHealth Canadaapprovedthe use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, withCanada having secured access to 20 million doses.

That will give Canadians a thirdCOVID-19 vaccination option. Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines are already being used.

Phase 2 groups

People in Phase 2 can be expected to be vaccinated between April and June. This phase of the planincludes:

  • Adults 70 years of age and older, starting with those 80 years and older.
  • Adults who identify as First Nations, Inuit or Mtis.
  • Staff, residents, and essential visitors at congregate living settings (shelters, group homes, transition houses, correctional facilities, and children or youth residential settings).
  • Adults 60 to 69 years of age.
  • Adults in marginalized populations where infection could have disproportionate consequences (e.g. people experiencing homelessness or with precarious housing arrangements).
  • First responders (including career and volunteer firefighters, police officers, border services, and search and rescue crew).
  • Front-line health-care workers who were not immunized in Phase 1 and who may come into direct contact with patients (includesprivate health-care workers).
  • People ages 16 to 59 who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
  • People who are required to regularly travel in and out of the province for work, including truck drivers and rotational workers.
  • Front-line essential workers who have direct contact with the public and cannot work from home underAlert Level 5.

At Friday's media briefing, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald indicated that teachers fall into the last category.

When asked why rotational workers were included, Fitzgerald saidsince people in that line of work travel, having them vaccinated against the virus was a good way to lower the risk for both individuals and the community.

Phase 3 groups

People in Phase 3 can be expected to be vaccinated between July to September 2021. This phase includes:

  • Anyone in priority groups remaining from phases 1 or 2.
  • Adults 16-59 years of age, starting with those 55 years of age and older, and then decreasing in age limit by five-year increments.

Timelines for phases 2 and 3

The timelines for rolloutin each phase dependson how much of the vaccine N.L. actually receives and whether it's on time.

There will be several ways people in phases 2 and 3 can get a vaccine, includingpublic vaccination clinics, mobile clinics for smaller communities, and from doctors and pharmacists.

Health Canada approved the Astra Zeneca coronavirus vaccine on Friday. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

There is a new pre-registration system launching to help with therolloutand isavailable for people 70and older, and in mid-March for the remaining people in Phase 2 priority groups.

People who are eligible to pre-registercan call 1-833-668-3930 or visit the province's COVID-19 online portal.

It will not be first come, first served,says Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald. People in Phase 2 need to pre-register by last name: people with last names starting with A through F can pre-register from now through Sunday; G through L fromMonday to Wednesday; and M through Z from March 4 to March 7.

None of the vaccines have been approved for anyone under 16. Fitzgerald saidstudies are ongoing, and more information is likely to become available.

Who decideswho makes the cut?

The province's approach to who gets the vaccineis guided by several groups, according to the health department.

Those groups include: scientists andresearchers, theNational Advisory Committee on Immunization, Dr. Fitzgerald, andthe Provincial Health Ethics Network of Newfoundland and Labrador.

"If we could vaccinate everyone today, we would," Fitzgerald said during Friday's regular COVID-19 briefing, encouraging everyone able to get the vaccine to do so.

The vaccine requires two doses, and each of those shotshave to be the same vaccine. For example, someone shouldn't get a shot of theAstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and then theModernavaccine.

As for deciding who gets the shot first, the report on the government's vaccination plan "aims to strike a balance between protecting the most vulnerable, while maintaining capacity to respond to incidents that pose significant risk to public safety."

Who's been vaccinated so far

Earlier this week, Fitzgerald said the vaccine delaysthat have plagued the country are largely now resolved and "behind us."

Phase 2 and Phase 3 vaccine planshave been up in the air since doses first arrived in the province inDecember.

By Friday, Health Minister JohnHaggie said health authoritieswill have delivered a vaccine to every eligible long-term care resident in Newfoundland and Labrador.

He said the regions are forging ahead with Phase 1 vaccinations, with all essential health-care workers expected to be completed by March 5.

Haggie said the next group to get the shots people over age 85 in the Central and Western regions, and over 75 in Labrador-Grenfell can begin registering for thevaccine in the first week of March.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador