WINDSOR, ONT. -- The federal minister responsible for rapid test, vaccine and PPE procurement took part in a round table discussion with Windsor-Essex healthcare professionals Thursday, to update them on the federal government’s vaccine approach.

Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, said there was an urgent call for doses to continue coming into the Windsor-Essex area.

“Our vaccine deliveries are going to steeply ramp up and from a local health care perspective that is going to mean that all hands will need to be on deck for that rollout.”

Anand says 18,000 vaccines have been administered in Windsor-Essex so far, and that Pfizer procurements are set to quadruple next week, with more than 400,000 doses expected in Canada before the end of the first quarter.

Anand adds 20 million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are anticipated between April and the end of June.

“You’re a border town and that means continued vigilance is needed as well as respecting public health guidelines and you have done an incredible job as a community to make sure that Windsor-Essex is pulling through this pandemic.”

Anand tells CTV News the government is prepared from a PPE perspective in the event of a possible third wave.

“When we put our contracts in place back in the spring of 2020, we made sure that they were long term contracts which would see the delivery of PPE gloves, gowns, masks, N95’s over the course of months and years. So, at a federal government level, we have procured over 2 billion items of PPE and over 1.5 billion of those items have been delivered to date. So, we are prepared from a supply issue, a PPE issue for a third potential wave, and we are also going to see millions and millions of vaccines coming into this country in the short term.”

Anand said she believes Canadian mask guidance will continue to be updated in light of the CDC’s recent review on the need to double mask in the face of new covid variants.

The virtual event was hosted alongside Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk.

Windsor-Essex Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed took part with top staff from Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie Shores Healthcare and Hotel Dieu Grace Health Care.