Mackenzie Health administers its first COVID-19 vaccine

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  Mackenzie Health – first vaccine – Juanita Tania Rhoda – December 22 2020 Juanito Driz and Rhoda Coniega from Langstaff Square Care Community give a thumbs up along with Tania Antenucci, a Mackenzie Health clinical pharmacist, after receiving the first COVID-19 vaccines in York Region at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.
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  Mackenzie Health – first vaccine – Rhoda – December 22 2020 Rhoda Coniega, a program aide at Langstaff Square Care Community, receives the second COVID-19 vaccine in York Region at the Mackenzie Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic located at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital will open to the public in February 2021.

Vaughan, ON (December 22, 2020) — Mackenzie Health administered its first COVID-19 vaccine today to a health care worker at a new COVID-19 vaccine clinic located at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. While not yet an operational hospital, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital provides an ideal location for this clinic. When it opens in February it will add much-needed capacity to the system.

“Mackenzie Health is proud and excited today to be part of this significant step forward in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mackenzie Health President and CEO Altaf Stationwala. “The arrival of a vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone, particularly for health care workers, who have done so much to support our community this year.”

The first vaccine was administered earlier today to Jaunito Driz, a personal support worker at Langstaff Square Care Community in Richmond Hill.

“This is a very important moment for everyone, and I am grateful for the opportunity to receive the vaccine today,” says Driz. “As a front-line worker, I am committed to doing everything I can to protect those around me, especially the seniors I care for, and so I was eager to get vaccinated.”

Rollout of the province’s vaccination program has come at a critical time for Ontario hospitals. In recent weeks, Mackenzie Health, like many other hospitals in the GTA, has seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. Last week, it exceeded its staffed 38-bed ICU capacity for the first time since the start of the pandemic. As a result, Mackenzie Health has had to operate critical care beds in less-than-ideal locations, such as the Emergency Department, as well as transfer patients to nearby hospitals.

Stationwala is urging the community to support hospital efforts by continuing to follow public health guidelines.

“We are at a critical juncture and we can’t do it alone,” Stationwala explained. “Our hospital is overwhelmed, and our staff are overstretched and falling ill. While the vaccine is a ray of hope, we still need our community to pull together so that we can continue to provide the necessary care that our patients need and deserve.”

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first vaccine authorized by Health Canada for COVID-19. It was put through an independent and thorough scientific review for safety, efficacy and quality. At this time, the provincial government, based on the expert recommendations of the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force and in alignment with the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, prioritized the earliest doses to vaccinate Ontario’s most vulnerable. This includes health care workers and essential caregivers who work in hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes and other congregate settings caring for seniors who will receive the vaccination in this initial phase of the province’s vaccine distribution plan to ensure they are protected.

“Protecting our most vulnerable populations will be critical in the coming months as we work diligently to curb COVID-19 infection rates,” said Stationwala. “Mackenzie Health remains committed to supporting our provincial partners in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure we keep our communities safe and healthy.”

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 About Mackenzie Health

Mackenzie Health is a dynamic regional health care provider which includes the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and the future Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, as well as a comprehensive network of community-based services. In March 2017, the organization received its second consecutive award of Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada for its commitment to safety and quality patient care. This is the highest rating a Canadian health care provider can receive. Guided by a vision to create the ultimate health experience, Mackenzie Health has an unrelenting focus on the patient and is dedicated to patient needs now and in the future. With over 500,000 residents in southwest York Region, Mackenzie Health is proud to serve one of the fastest growing and most diverse communities in Canada. For more information, please visit mackenziehealth.ca 

About Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital

When it opens in February 2021, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital will be Canada’s first smart hospital and the first net new hospital to be built in Ontario in more than 30 years. It will double access to care for the communities of Vaughan, King and Richmond Hill, and add necessary capacity to the health care system. With the addition of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Mackenzie Health will offer full-service emergency departments and medicine and surgery programs at two hospitals to help alleviate the ever-growing pressure on resources in the health system.

Media contact:

Christina Cindric
Senior Communications Consultant, Mackenzie Health
905-883-1212 ext. 7490 | christina.cindric@mackenziehealth.ca