Everything we know about the vaccine rollout in the London region

As COVID-19 cases skyrocket and Ontario enters another enhanced lockdown, CBC London has compiled what we know so far about how the coronavirus vaccine rollout is going in this region.

The London Health Sciences Centre is in charge of vaccine distribution, and is coordinating it at the Western Fair Agriplex, where health care workers are getting vaccinated. 

The Middlesex-London Health Unit on Monday started vaccinating seniors in long-term care facilities, starting with homes that have active outbreaks. On Monday, seniors at Oneida Long-Term Care were vaccinated, and on Tuesday those at Country Terrace received the shot. Today, the vaccination team will be at Chelsey Park long-term care. 

Here's what else we know, according to LHSC officials.  

How many people have been vaccinated? 

• 7,063 people have been vaccinated since Dec. 23
• Between 515 to 800 have been vaccinated each day in the last five days 
• The goal is to administer 600 doses per day

How many doses do we have, and how much more are we getting? 

• 1,712 doses remained in freezers at the end of the day on Jan 11
• London expects to get 4,875 doses each week for the next three weeks (including this week)

How does the Agriplex clinic work? 

• The hours of operation are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, seven days a week and there are 600 appointments a day, reserved for health care workers. 
• No-shows for appointments are a "minimal issue," LHSC says, about five or six per day. 
• For no shows or cancellations, the appointment time becomes available again for booking and the number of appointments is monitored so that too much vaccine is not prepared. 

Who decides which health care workers get the vaccine? 

• LHSC works with the Middlesex London Health Unit, Southwestern Public Health and Huron Perth Health Unit "in alignment with provincial direction." 
• The first priority is long-term care staff and staff of retirement homes co-located with LTC homes or homes with memory units. 
• Hospital staff in the region are being vaccinated using a "provincial prioritization framework," LHSC says. 
• Staff and physicians in emergency departments (excluding pediatrics), critical care units, and units that care for COVID-19 patients from all hospitals from Huron, Perth, Oxford, Middlesex, and Elgin counties.
• Hospital executives and other leaders are last on the vaccine queue. No executives have been vaccinated except Dr. Adam Dukelow, who oversees emergency medicine in the region. Dukelow sees patients. 

Who isn't included in the vaccinations? 

• Some doctors have reached out to CBC News, saying they should be on the vaccination list but aren't. That includes nurses and doctors in pediatric emergency departments and anesthesiologists. Pediatric ER staff work with patients daily who could be COVID positive, and anesthesiologists assist in intubation of COVID patients. 
• The hospital responded by saying it will prioritize other groups using the framework for the next cohort of vaccinations. With limited supplies, the hospital says "our focus must be on the most vulnerable and right now that is long-term care and retirement home residents." 
• "The prevalence of COVID-19 and impact of COVID-19 is far less in pediatrics," LHSC says.