Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announced that Canada has an agreement with Pfizer to have up to 249,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine delivered this month; pending Health Canada approval, and the first shipments could come next week.

They will be delivered directly to 14 distribution centres now equipped with the necessary cold storage.

Trudeau says it will be up to provincial leaders to decide who gets shots when, but that the premiers agree the most vulnerable should be first in line.

Doug Ford says residents and staff in ”congregate-care settings,” such as long-term care homes and retirement homes, will get priority as long as they’re in one of Ontario’s ”red zones,” such as Toronto and Peel Region.

Health care workers and hospital employees in red zones will also be among the first inoculated.

The head of Ontario’s vaccine distribution task force, retired General Rick Hillier, says approximately 85,000 doses will be available in the province this month.

The vaccine cannot be easily transported between distribution centres and long-term care and retirement homes.

”When we know we can move it, we want to get to those most vulnerable people first,” adds Hillier.

Staff may have to be vaccinated first at central locations given the difficulty in moving residents around.