Ottawa police officers to get COVID-19 vaccines starting Wednesday

Ottawa police officers are next in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the first phase of Ontario's vaccine distribution.

Starting Wednesday, officers who regularly provide emergency medical care will begin receiving their first dose. Around 800 members qualify for the vaccines and will be inoculated within the next few weeks, an Ottawa Police Service spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC.

The service said it's still waiting on more information about when other members who don't yet qualify will get vaccinated.

The city's police officers join the list of other first responders in Ottawa who have also begun receiving their vaccines, including paramedics and firefighters.

As of Monday, more than 50,500 doses of the vaccine had been given to people across the city, including long-term care and retirement home residents, health-care workers, and first responders.

Ottawa police said 23 members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.