Chamber News

As the province moves to Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen, Ontario is accelerating second dose eligibility to all children and youth aged 12 to 17 to provide them with a strong level of protection against COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and support a safe return to school in September.

Starting on Monday, July 5, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., youth aged 12 to 17 across the province will be eligible to book an accelerated second dose appointment to receive the Pfizer vaccine through the provincial booking system, directly through public health units that use their own booking system, and through participating pharmacies.

“As the province enters Step Two of our Roadmap, all eligible Ontarians have the opportunity for a two-dose summer,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Vaccines are the best defence against COVID-19 and variants, and I encourage everyone to get their first and second shots as soon as possible.”

Ontario’s vaccine rollout has been widely successful, surpassing targets and continuing to expand eligibility ahead of schedule. During the week of June 21, 2021, the province administered more than one million doses in four days. Notably, 26,771 doses were administered in a single day at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena Clinic, setting a North American record. To date, the province’s public health units, mass vaccination clinics, hospital sites, pharmacies and primary care providers have administered over 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 77 per cent of adult Ontarians having received their first dose and more than 42 per cent fully immunized.

To continue to protect against the Delta variant the province continues to provide targeted supports to Delta hot spots. Since last week, provincially supported mobile teams have begun returning to community and workplace sites to support second dose clinics in Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Toronto, Peel and York region hot spots. Two pop-up teams and additional vaccination staff are also helping to accelerate first and second doses in priority communities in Waterloo Region. A total of 230,000 additional doses were provided to Delta hot spots over the past weeks to accelerate vaccinations and further protect these communities.

“Expanding the eligibility for accelerated second doses to include youth aged 12 to 17 is another positive step in the rollout of vaccines across Ontario,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “With the continued support of our public health partners, we are on track to significantly increase the number of Ontarians who will be fully immunized this summer, helping to protect themselves and their community.”

Quick Facts

• To date, more than ten million vaccine first and second dose appointments have been made through the provincial booking system since its launch in March 2021.
• Due to the ongoing success of Ontario’s vaccine rollout and continuing improvements in key public health indicators, the province moved into Step Two of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen on June 30, 2021.
• Ontario received approximately 3.7 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and approximately 4.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in June, and is expected to receive approximately 3.54 million doses of Pfizer in July and 550,000 doses of Moderna for the first week of July. Ontario’s allocation of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, meant to arrive during the first two weeks of July, will be 907,000 doses, down from the 1.7 million doses expected initially, with the remainder to arrive during the last two weeks of July (2,637,000 doses).
• All vaccines provided as part of Ontario’s vaccine rollout provide strong protection against COVID-19 and its variants, including the Delta variant. Mixing vaccines is safe, effective and enables Ontarians to receive their second dose sooner. This is consistent with the practices of many jurisdictions and recommendations provided by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
• Public health units are responsible for determining how vaccines are allocated through their region as well as through local distribution channels, including through the provincial booking system. New clinic appointments on the provincial booking system are being added by public health units regularly.
• Eligible groups can use Ontario’s vaccine booking system to find out how to schedule an appointment, or can call the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line number at 1-833-943-3900. For general inquiries, individuals can call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line number at 1-888-999-6488 or TTY service is also available by calling 1-866-797-0007. Appointments can also be scheduled directly through public health units that use their own booking system, and through participating pharmacies. Select primary care providers are also reaching out to book appointments.