COVID-19 shots for 80+ residents in Windsor-Essex will start Monday. Here's how it will work

Windsor-Essex will be among the first regions in the province to offer COVID-19 vaccines to seniors who are 80 or older.

The vaccinations start Monday, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) announced Thursday, about two weeks ahead of the launch of a provincial reservation system.

The health unit says 7,000 people signed up as of Friday morning, less than 24 hours after the system launched.

Here's a look at how it will work:

When and where do vaccinations start?

The targeted vaccination clinics will be set upat two locations, one in Windsor and one in Essex County.

The WFCU Centre clinic will open March 1 and the clinic at Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington will open March 8.

Appointments will be available Monday to Friday, typically from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

How do I register? What if I need help?

A pre-registration form isavailable on the health unit's website here. After the submission is reviewed, those eligible will be contacted by the health unit with an appointment time.

Those who register will be randomly selected for appointments, WECHU CEO Theresa Marentette said Thursday.

"The pre-registration is not a first-come, first serve system," she said.

The health unit says those with difficulty accessing the form should get a friend or family member to help.

A phone line (519-251-4072)has also been set up to handle submissions for those who can't complete the web form.

On Friday, Marentette said the phone lines had about a 25-minute wait.

Is this different than the provincial registration system?

The province announced Wednesday that it would be opening upregistration for a vaccine appointmentsystemon March 15, with shotsfor 80-plus residents to begin that week.

The health unit in Windsor-Essex, which is a bit ahead of other areas of the province in terms of vaccination rollout to priority populations such as seniors in long-term care, has set up a totally separate system.

On Thursday, health unit officials saidtheymay eventually switch to the provincial system once it launches.

How many people can get vaccinated?

Based on current supply levels, the health unit will be able to vaccinate 150 people on the first day, ramping up to 200 per day.

There are about 20,000 people in the target population, though many will have already been vaccinated through earlier rollouts at long-term care and retirement homes.

Health officials have stressed that it will take time to get to everyone.

The speed of the vaccinations is contingent on the supply of shots available.

The health unit says it will be using Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine until additional supply of the Moderna shot is available.

A third product, made byAstraZeneca, was approved by Health Canada on Friday.

Medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said he was excited about the news. He couldn't comment on what impact it would have on the local supply but said the approvalopens up more possibilities.

"It's great news that we now will have access to a more fridge-stable vaccine that will be easier to mobilize and easier to target and take to places where cold-chain maintenance had been an issue in the past," he said.

What about accessibility?

The health unit has acknowledged there are somewithin the target population who may not be able to get to the vaccination sites for various reasons, including physical disability.

The health unitultimately wants to provide vaccine access for anyone over 80 who wants it, Marentette said Thursday, and is working on strategies to reach people in that population.

Both the Windsor and Leamington clinic sitesare wheelchair accessible.