LONDON, ONT. -- A new pilot project will see paramedics operate mobile vaccination clinics for people who have faced challenges booking or attending appointments.

“The Middlesex-London Paramedic Service has been able to secure 1,000 doses of vaccine that we can distribute within the Middlesex-London region,” explains Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, Warden of Middlesex County.

The vaccine will be administered to people unable to leave their homes, vulnerable residents, and employees of some workplaces.

Advocacy for the program began with the Middlesex Economic Resilience Task Force.

“That task force is made up of employers and leaders in our communities,” adds Warden Burghardt-Jesson. “One of their big asks was to find a way to get vaccine into workplaces and our communities.

Middlesex County,as service provider overseeing MLPS, secured the doses after proposing the pilot project to both the Ministry of Health and the Office of Premier Doug Ford.

Residents of both Middlesex County and the City of London will benefit from the program.

Burghardt-Jesson says the timing of the announcement showcases the critical role of paramedics in vaccination.

“It is Paramedic Services Week, it’s a great way to celebrate everything they do.”

The vaccine is anticipated to arrive in about two weeks.