The Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) says it's making an effort towards getting more COVID-19 vaccines from across the border.
Hospital President and CEO, David Musyj told Blackburn News on Monday that they have requested 600,000 doses via a program through Health Canada called the Special Access Program.
The program allows health officials to request access to medication or supplies needed to treat things such as communicable diseases that are scarce or unavailable in Canada.
Musyj says the idea to apply for the program came after he had been contacted by several health entities in Detroit trying to figure out a way to get vaccines to Windsorites who want them without forcing them to quarantine after crossing the United States border.
"We have a historical program we've used from time to time in the past, and our head of pharmacy said, 'Why don't we give it a shot and see if we could use it in this particular circumstance?'" Musyj said. "So we applied and we'll see what Health Canada does and if they can help us get these vaccines into Canada using this route."
Since applying, the federal agency has confirmed that they have received the request but told WRH that it needs to be reviewed to determine if the idea is plausible. Musyj says having the vaccines come through the program would be ideal as there wouldn't be a need to create a new policy.
Musyj says the need for more vaccines in the region is needed even greater now following the province's decision to stop administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
"In order to get in front of this virus or to beat this virus is to stop replication and the way to stop replication is with vaccines and public health measures."