Ontario wasted millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses after overestimating booster demand, auditor report finds
Ontario wasted 38 per cent of COVID-19 vaccine doses between February and June because it overestimated demand for boosters, said the province's auditor, who also found the government ran a disorganized booking system and doesn't fully track adult vaccinations.
Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk said in her annual report Wednesday that overall COVID-19 vaccine wastage is nine per cent, or 3.4 million doses. About half of that could have been avoided with better forecasting of demand.
Wastage rates varied quite a bit between public health units, and one private company wasted 57 per cent of its supply between May 2021 and May 2022, but the province hasn't determined the causes, Lysyk said.
The auditor also said the province's COVID-19 vaccine communication strategy was not always effective.
"It was disorganized, inconsistent and lacking detail about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, suggesting that Ontarians may not have been as well informed as possible in their decision-making," Lysyk wrote.
"The Ministry did not always provide clear information on whether to get additional vaccine doses and did not effectively combat misinformation about the vaccine. Health experts informed us that they believed the government's communication approach sometimes undermined public confidence in vaccination."
She also identified problems with the system for booking vaccination appointments, as the province created its own portal but about half of public health units are using their own, while some hospitals, pharmacies and private companies are using their own methods as well.
"Multiple booking systems also encouraged Ontarians to 'vaccine shop' by registering for multiple appointments to try to get either the quickest appointment or a specific vaccine brand," Lysyk wrote in the report.
"The continued absence of a centralized booking system (as of August 2022) increases the likelihood of unnecessary wastage continuing into the future since such no-show appointments can result in more wasted doses of vaccine."
Multiple bookings led to about 227,000 no-shows in 2021 in the provincial booking system alone, the auditor found, which likely contributed to vaccine wastage.
The lack of a centralized booking system also led to inconsistent controls and checks to ensure that when bookings were opened up to particular groups, such as health-care workers or immunocompromised people, only those eligible were actually making appointments, Lysyk found.
Family doctors were underutilized in the vaccine rollout, Lysyk found, noting that the compensation structure provided a disincentive for them to administer shots in their own offices.
Physicians were paid between $170 and $220 an hour by the government to work at vaccination sites operated by a public health unit or a hospital, while doctors were paid just $13 per dose to vaccinate in their own offices.As well, Lysyk found that physicians at clinics were paid much higher rates to administer shots than nurses, who were paid between $32 and $49 an hour, and pharmacists, who were paid between $30 and $57 per hour.
The Ministry of Health conducted a study of procedures and effectiveness at nine mass immunization clinics between the summer of 2021 and December of that year and finalized the study this July, Lysyk wrote, but did not share results with public health units to help them plan for the rollout of the bivalent vaccines this fall.
As well, the auditor says that despite the Ministry of Health saying in 2014 that it was going to expand a system used for tracking student vaccinations to keep vaccine records for all Ontarians, that has not happened.
Lysyk found that contracts for goods and services related to COVID-19 were timely given the urgency of the pandemic, but better co-ordination could have reduced some costs.
About $18.7 million was paid to private companies for underutilized mobile COVID-19 testing, the auditor found.
"Vendors were paid a guaranteed minimum daily payment to cover overhead costs even if a minimum number of COVID-19 tests were not performed," Lysyk wrote in the report.
One vendor charged its guaranteed minimum daily payment of $8,255 whether zero tests or 250 tests were performed in a day, the report said.
The audit identified 105 instances, representing $800,000, in which vendors got their guaranteed minimum daily payment despite testing no one that day.
Lysyk also pinpointed issues with contracts elsewhere, finding the Liquor Control Board of Ontario's IT procurement processes don't always follow the agency's own policies.
The LCBO awarded $108 million in sole-sourced IT contracts above the dollar value that should trigger a competitive process, she wrote. That represents 42 per cent of all IT contract spending over a three-year period the auditor examined.
The auditor reviewed a sample of 12 of those contracts and found that while all had business cases attached, none of those documents provided sufficient information to justify a non-competitive process.
"The LCBO explained that non-competitive contracts were more common for IT procurement due to existing legacy systems and because of proprietary rights in software," Lysyk wrote.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Inside Canada's chaotic response to avian flu
A CFIA official is calling it the 'largest animal health emergency that this country has ever had to face.' A joint IJF/CTV News investigation looks into Canada's response to the bird flu pandemic, and how it's ravaged the country's farms.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid
Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island and knocked out the country's power grid.
Influencer is banned from future NYC marathons for bringing a camera crew to last weekend's race
A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last weekend's New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon, telling her supporters that her 'heart is full.'
Canada's health-care spending expected to outpace economy in 2024: CIHI
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
Newfoundland hockey player suspended, banned from local arena after off-ice fight with fan
A combination of a thrown stick and thrown punches have given a senior hockey player in Newfoundland a three-game suspension and an indefinite ban from one of his league's six arenas.
The world's 10 richest people got a record US$64 billion richer from Trump's re-election
Wednesday wasn't just a good day for Donald Trump. The wealth of the world’s 10 richest people also soared by a record amount, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.