Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker wants residents to be patient and stay vigilant while they await their turn for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Member of Provincial Parliament says he wants to reassure people about Ontario’s vaccine rollout, saying, “3.3 million doses are actually in arms. As soon as they’re getting to us, they’re going out the door,” says Walker.
Walker says he’s aware of the frustration in the community, “I get it, everybody and their brother wants it, but there’s only so many doses.”
Walker says while we have a local system that is ready to go, vaccine supply is still the challenge. He explains, “It really is a case of, we’ve got everything in place for the system, it’s really just the supply and the demand. If you only get 5,000 doses, you can only put 5,000 doses out even though there are people that are on waiting lists and wanting it.”
He’s asking the community to push on a little longer, “We just want people to remain vigilant. Keep doing the ‘3 Ws’ Wash your hands, Wear your mask, Watch your 6 foot distance and as soon as those vaccines are here, that’s how we’re going to beat this thing.”
His advice is to, “Keep monitoring the Grey Bruce Health Unit website as soon as there are doses, they put it up there.”
Walker himself has not been vaccinated yet. He does not fit the current age criteria.
He feels the local vaccination strategy is a good one saying, “The Hockey Hub has been a phenomenal success.” He notes, “People are glad to be there, they get through they system very quickly and it’s extremely efficient. There are other provinces and other countries now trying to copy it.”
Walker says, “I think now, people just hopefully can have that patience and understand there’s a still a strategy trying to get to those areas where people are most susceptible. those that are going to truly get sick and possibly, sadly, have a fatality, so that’s where the focus is being put.”
He notes, “We’re working as hard as we can with the federal government to expedite the number of vaccines available and as soon at they’re here, they’re going in arms because that’s everybody’s goal.”
“We’ll beat this thing,” says Walker, adding, “There is light at the end of the tunnel. There are challenges, but we’ll have 40 per cent of adults in the province vaccinated by the end of this shut-down and that’s moving us forward in the right direction.”