Ontario Extends COVID-19 Vaccination Booking to More Age Groups

TORONTO — The Ontario government is extending booking for COVID-19 vaccination appointments to more age groups through its provincial booking system in 10 public health units on Friday, April 2, 2021.

As of 8:00 a.m. booking eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination appointments at mass immunization clinics will extend to more Ontarians in the following regions:

Individuals aged 60 and over:

• Toronto Public Health; and
• Peel Public Health.

Individuals aged 70 and over:

• North Bay Parry Sound District;
• Peterborough Public Health;
• Eastern Ontario Health Unit;
• Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit;
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health;
• Thunder Bay District Health Unit;
• Northwestern Health Unit; and
• Public Health Sudbury and Districts.

The following 10 public health units are already booking individuals aged 70 and over:

• City of Hamilton Public Health Services;
• Grey Bruce Health Unit;
• Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health;
• Lambton Public Health;
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit;
• Niagara Region Public Health;
• Ottawa Public Health;
• Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit;
• Timiskaming Health Unit; and
• York Region Public Health.

As of March 31, 2021, at 8:00 p.m., over 81 per cent of Ontario residents aged 80 and over have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and more than half of residents aged 75 to 79 have now received their first shot.

As the immunization program continues to expand, more Ontarians are gaining a higher level of protection against the virus, which will help to save lives.

Ontario continues to work with public health units to vaccinate remaining Phase One populations. Public health units have been directed to consider accessibility issues in their plans, as well as work with community partners to develop strategies to remove barriers to access and improve uptake in at-risk communities.

Vaccine administration rates are based on local context and may differ as vaccine supply is delivered across the province. For more information on local vaccine rollout, individuals are encouraged to contact their local public health unit.

Quick Facts

• In March, Ontario received 1,454,310 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first shipment of 323,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine (225,600 doses delayed until April) and 194,500 doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine. An additional 583,400 doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine were received on April 1. In April, the province is expecting to receive 1,584,180 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 751,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
• Eligible individuals can schedule a vaccine appointment by visiting Ontario.ca/bookvaccine, or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Information Line number at 1-888-999-6488. The Provincial Vaccine Information Line is open Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can provide assistance in over 300 languages.
• Healthy people are essential for a healthy economy. The government released the 2021 Ontario Budget on March 24 outlining the province’s next steps to defeat COVID-19. It brings total investments to $16.3 billion to protect people’s health. Ontario’s total response to COVID-19 is now $51 billion.

SOURCE  Province of Ontario