Sarnia's mayor is feeling more optimistic about local COVID-19 vaccine supply after a chat with Ontario Premier Doug Ford Wednesday.
Mike Bradley said within two weeks, Sarnia-Lambton will receive 4,600 Pfizer and 800 Moderna vaccines.
"My understanding is that's probably going to be duplicated over in the next couple of weeks after," said Bradley. "This certainly boosts our supply, and we need more supply and the premier noted that. The problem for them, I'm not going to point fingers, and he didn't, is the amount of vaccine that's available to be issued across Ontario."
Bradley said the Sarnia area will become part of the province's pharmacy vaccine program, but when it starts is dependent on getting more AstraZeneca supply.
He told the premier that Sarnia-Lambton is the only area in the southwest right now in the Grey-lockdown zone but places like Windsor and London are getting more vaccines.
"In the past, public health and the premier were saying that it was done per capita but those numbers don't add up when you look at them," he said. "That's why I brought it to his attention. We are underserviced when it comes to the vaccine compared to neighbouring communities but we're the hottest area in the region right now."
Mayor Bradley also talked to Premier Ford about a large lockdown protest held at city hall last Saturday.
He said it's evident people know the rules about masking are unenforceable by bylaw officers, and he's worried about the possibility of demonstrations elsewhere that will simply spread the virus.
Lambton Public Health said 16,454 people have been vaccinated locally, including 1,544 who have had both doses.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sudit Ranade, in a media briefing Wednesday, said the local roll-out is moving in the right direction.
"If you think we've immunized about 15 or 16 per cent of the eligible population, and have immunized a substantially greater number of people than the number of people that have actually gotten COVID in our community, those are two really good indicators for me that we're on the right track."
Dr. Ranade said he certainly wants to do more and they will. He noted that getting up to two thousand vaccinations a day will require weekly vaccine shipments in the tens-of-thousands.