KITCHENER -- Region of Waterloo Public Health officials said long-term care and retirement residents who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will have their first dose by Friday evening.

One month has passed since regional officials administered their first doses of the vaccine at Grand River Hospital. Siham Ibrahim, a personal support worker in Elmira, received the first shot.

A mobile clinic was launched on Jan. 12 to vaccinate residents in long-term care and retirement homes.

To date, 4,493 long-term care and retirement home workers, 4,225 hospital and health-care workers, and 4,304 residents of care homes have received their first dose of the vaccine.

“While it’s unfortunate that there has been a disruption in Pfizer’s vaccine production, we continue to prepare and plan for mass immunization in Waterloo Region.,” said Shirley Hilton, Deputy Chief for Waterloo Region Police Service and lead for the Waterloo Region Vaccine Distribution Task Force, in a news release. “Since the information we receive changes so rapidly, our decisions have to be made based on what we know in the moment. Our priority this week has been administering doses to residents of long-term care and high-risk retirement homes.

Clinics scheduled for people receiving their first dose of the vaccine next week are currently paused due to a shortage of doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Around 330 people have received their second doses of the vaccine and second dose clinics are expected to begin again on Sunday.

Officials are asking people to continue following public health measures to help prevent the spread of the disease.