Toronto Public Health (TPH) has added 48,000 appointments at City of Toronto immunization clinics to help residents get the best protection against serious illness linked to COVID-19 and stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. TPH has also added 5,000 appointments to administer school-based vaccines – the Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Meningococcal vaccines – to students in grades seven to 12 who have missed starting or completing their vaccine series at schools over the past two years.
All of the appointments are now available up to Saturday, May 7 at the City’s five immunization clinics and can be booked online through the provincial booking system: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/bo
TPH continues to encourage residents to get the next COVID-19 vaccine dose that they are eligible to receive. Recent data shows that residents who received their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine had the lowest rate of hospitalization, compared to residents who were not vaccinated, or were under-vaccinated. Fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are currently being offered to residents who are at higher risk of more severe illness and hospitalizations associated with a COVID-19 infection.
Residents 18 years of age and older are eligible to receive a third dose, if at least three months (around 84 days) have passed since getting their second dose, while youth between the ages of 12 and 17 years are eligible after at least six months (around 168 days). As of April 6, residents 60 years of age and older and First Nations, Inuit and Metis adults, and their non-Indigenous household members 18 years and older are eligible for the fourth dose for the extra layer of protection. Eligible residents can get their fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if at least five months (around 140 days) have passed since receiving their third dose. More information about eligibility and to book an appointment is available on the City’s COVID-19: Vaccines webpage: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/c
As of Sunday, April 24, all five City immunization clinics were accepting walk-ins for the COVID-19 vaccine, subject to availability. A health card is not required, however individuals must bring some form of identification. More information about the five City-run immunization clinics including their addresses is available on the City’s COVID-19: City Immunization Clinics webpage: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/c
The Shop And Vax initiative also continues this week, bringing COVID-19 vaccination clinics to local shopping centres including:
• Dufferin Mall, 900 Dufferin St.
• Eglinton Square Shopping Centre, 1 Eglinton Sq., Suite 203
• Lawrence Allen Center, 700 Lawrence Ave. W.
• Scarborough Town Centre, 300 Borough Dr.
• Stockyards, 1980 St. Clair Ave. W.
• Yonge Sheppard Centre, 2 Sheppard Ave. E.
The vaccination clinics at the shopping centres listed above will operate on a walk-in basis, to provide first, second, third, fourth and paediatric doses to eligible residents. More information, including hours of operations, are available on the City’s COVID-19: Pop-Up Immunization Clinics webpage: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/c
As of April 21, approximately 65.6 per cent of eligible residents 18 years of age and older had received their third dose, with 52.4 per cent of residents 60 years of age and older having received their fourth dose. More than 73,741 eligible residents have received their fourth dose, while 67,288 residents 60 years of age and older are currently eligible for the fourth dose. Vaccine data for Toronto is available on the City’s COVID-19 Vaccines Data webpage: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/c
As COVID-19 continues to circulate in our community, keeping up to date with immunization is the best way to ensure that a person, their loved ones and the community are protected from the virus and its variants. While COVID-19 activity has increased in the month of April, indicators show that new case activity, per cent positivity, wastewater signals and the healthcare system capacity has slowed down and began to plateau. TPH continues to urge residents to get vaccinated if they have not already done so, and to layer their self-protective measures including continuing to mask and to stay home if feeling sick, to keep each other safe.
This week Toronto joins other Canadian cities and organizations around the world in recognizing National Immunization Awareness Week as an opportunity to highlight and recognize the importance of vaccines for protecting people of all ages against many diseases, including COVID-19: www.toronto.ca/news/the-city-o
More than 50,000 vaccination appointments are now available at the City-run clinics!
?Metro Toronto Convention Centre
?Cloverdale Mall
?1940 Eglinton Ave E
?Mitchell Field Community Centre
?Woodbine Mall?Book here: https://t.co/e5JSvWjSxD
?1-866-797-0007 pic.twitter.com/DNubnSgrYs— John Tory (@JohnTory) April 26, 2022
Quotes:
“The vaccine has proven to be the best protection against COVID-19 and hospitalization. In an effort to make it as accessible as possible the City is adding 50,000 additional appointments while at the same time continuing our hyper-local clinics through Shop And Vax. I continue to encourage residents who are eligible for their fourth dose, and anyone who has yet to get their first, second or third dose to book an appointment or walk in to a clinic and get their shot. As we continue to move forward with our reopening efforts, while at the same time confronting a sixth wave, we know the vaccine will further ensure that we can and will remain open. I want to thank Team Toronto for their continuous work to provide ample opportunity for residents to get vaccinated as they understand how important it is for our residents to be protected.”
– Mayor John Tory
“National Immunization Awareness Week is a great opportunity to remind residents of the important role that vaccines play in protecting our community’s health now during the COVID-19 pandemic, through routine school-based immunizations for youth, childhood vaccines for infants and children, and adult vaccines to help keep residents safe at all times, including before and after travel. Vaccines are safe, effective and one of the most important ways to improve health worldwide and prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health
“For more than a year Torontonians have stepped up in record numbers to get vaccinated. In a city as large and diverse as ours, it’s a remarkable achievement. However, our work is not done yet and at Toronto Public Heath we are continuing to make vaccines available at clinics throughout our city.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Toronto Board of Health
Source City of Toronto
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