TORONTO — All long-term care residents, workers and essential caregivers in COVID-19 hot spots will be vaccinated by Jan. 21, the Ontario government said Tuesday as it faced criticism over the slow pace of the vaccine rollout.

The pledge covers those living and working in nursing homes in Toronto, Peel Region, York Region and Windsor-Essex, but the province did not offer a timeline for the rest of the seniors homes in the province.

The province also announced Tuesday that it will start administering COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario's Indigenous communities later this week. ORNGE air ambulances will assist with efforts to bring the vaccine to 31 fly-in communities in the north.

Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the government's vaccine rollout plan had hit "a couple of bumps in the road" but expressed confidence that the Jan. 21 deadline would be met.

The news came on a day that the province reported 22 more long-term care resident deaths, bringing the total to 2,865 since the start of the pandemic.

So far, approximately 50,000 long-term care home residents have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while nearly 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have also been administered.

The province said Tuesday it has received 95,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 53,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

The government said it has established 44 immunization sites to deliver the vaccines across the province and expects two million doses to arrive throughout the winter.

"We're ramping up," Ford said. "I just look forward to getting more vaccines, that's what we need."

The province said it expects to receive thousands of doses of both approved vaccines in the coming weeks.

Ontario said it expects the next delivery of the Moderna vaccine – approximately 56,000 doses - on Monday. Deliveries of that shot will arrive every three weeks.

The province says it will receive 80,000 weekly delivers of the Pfizer vaccine over the next three weeks.

The province also said that starting Wednesday, it will issue new guidance to hospitals allowing them to move the Pfizer vaccine to long-term care homes for the first time.

Previously, the vaccine, which requires deep-cold storage, could not be moved after it was delivered.

As a result, the Pfizer shot was largely being given out in hospitals to health-care workers while the Moderna shot has been used in long-term care homes.

Retire Gen. Rick Hillier, who is leading Ontario's vaccine distribution task force, said the ability to move the Pfizer vaccine will speed up access for long-term care residents in hard-hit homes.

"We want to do it carefully," he said. "We'll start using Pfizer to ... accelerate the process in long-term care homes."

Ottawa is piloting the efforts to transport the vaccine and the community's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, hailed the change as an important milestone.

"This is the first opportunity to bring the Pfizer vaccine to some of our most vulnerable residents which previously could only be administered at the Ottawa Hospital," she said.

The province reported 3,128 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 51 new deaths due to the virus.

Elliott said there were 778 new cases in Toronto, 614 in Peel Region and 213 in York Region.

In total, 1,347 people are hospitalized in Ontario due to COVID-19, including 325 in intensive care. The province also said 245 people are on ventilators in hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2021.

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