Ontario reports 3,784 new COVID cases as booster eligibility expands to 18+
CBC
Ontario logged 3,784 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, while those aged 18 and older became eligible to book a vaccine booster through the provincial portal — as long as it has been at least three months since their second shot.
Many social media users who logged in to reserve a spot this morning reported facing a virtual lineup of more than an hour. Others said the earliest appointments they could find were more than a month away, while others reported no available appointments in their region.
You can access the province's booking portal here.
Roughly 15 minutes after the expanded eligibility officially took effect, health officials in Ottawa said all available spots had been reserved.
"All COVID-19 vaccine booster dose appointments are now booked. We apologize for the inconvenience & are working hard to add more capacity and availability. Stay tuned for updates!" Ottawa Public Health tweeted, adding appointments may still be available through local pharmacies.
Niagara Region Public Health said Sunday night that all booster appointments for Monday and Tuesday had already been snapped up. The health unit said it would provide an update once more spots were added.
The province announced Wednesday that it was expanding eligibility in an effort to bolster defences against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
In York Region, however, public health officials said they are postponing the move.
Dr. Richard Gould, one of the region's associate medical officers of health, said expanding eligibility would have added 700,000 eligible residents.
The health unit wants to prioritize older age groups, he said, adding that only 44 per cent of individuals over 70 in Ontario have received their booster shot to date.
"We understand the frustration of the 18-plus [but] we have to make sure that those who are 50 and 70-plus are able to book appointments," Gould said.
The region is opening specialty clinics for those 70-plus starting next week, he said.
The Ministry of Health said that 125,000 booster shot appointments had been booked through the portal by 10 a.m. ET. That figure does not include spots confirmed in public health units that use an internal booking system or at pharmacies, primary care offices and hospitals.
The province intends to ramp up capacity to begin administering between 200,000 and 300,000 booster doses every day, ministry spokesperson Alexandra Hilkene said.
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