The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has sent its vaccination rollout plan off to the province.
CEO Theresa Marentette told the Board of Health it took several days and barely made it in on time, but the plan to vaccinate Essex County against COVID-19 is now in the hands of the Ministry of Health.
Marentette says committees representing every sector will be created to keep vulnerable people at the front of the line.
"Look at the ethical framework through a health equity lens to ensure that, in the case there's not enough vaccines, that the priorities are established," she says.
The health unit continues to receive requests to be added to a priority list that doesn't exist, according to Marentette.
She says primary health care providers will identify patients deemed a priority under the plan.
"We want people to use their existing networks to get vaccinated," she says. "The bigger vaccination clinics will be widely used when we have so much vaccine we need every person on board."
Marentette says a website is being created to keep the public informed as well.
"This portal will help address some of the information that the public would like to know that really hasn't been readily available because the only direction we've had from the ministry is with retirement and long-term care homes," she says.
Marentette says firm timelines can't be established until vaccines become more available.
She says that might not be until mid-March, with a goal of getting up to 320,000 people vaccinated by September.