Toronto: Durham residents aged 60-64 years will have to wait a while longer to get their AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine shot.
Yesterday Ontario government announced that as of Friday, March 12, over 325 pharmacies will be offering the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine to eligible Ontarians aged 60-64, by appointment only, as part of the vaccine delivery pilot program in specific regions. Durham is not in the list.
With the arrival of 194,500 doses of the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine, select pharmacies began booking appointments starting yesterday in three public health unit regions:
- Toronto
- Windsor-Essex
- Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington
The vaccine rollout will be expanded to more pharmacies in other regions of the province as supply increases, said a government statement.
All vaccinations available through pharmacies will require an appointment to be made in advance. Eligible adults aged 60-64 (as defined by year of birth between 1957-1961), who are interested in booking an appointment, can visit ontario.ca/pharmacyCovidvaccine to find a participating pharmacy and can contact the pharmacy to make an appointment.
Primary Care
The province is also working with primary care professionals to offer vaccinations in primary care settings and community locations, such as physician offices, in collaboration with public health units. This initiative will begin as of Saturday March 13, in:
- Hamilton
- Toronto
- Guelph
- Peterborough
- Simcoe-Muskoka, and
- Peel
Primary care providers will not be taking appointments by request but will be contacting eligible Ontarians aged 60-64 directly to book an appointment starting yesterday. They will only be offering the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine at this time.
“We are about to achieve a major milestone in our battle against Covid-19, by the end of the day we expect to reach the one million mark for doses administered and continue to lead the country in vaccinations completed,” said Premier Doug Ford. “But we are just ramping up and mobilizing even more members of Team Ontario in our pharmacies and primary care settings. We have a plan to get vaccines into arms as quickly as possible in order to keep people safe and we will do that as long as we have a steady supply from the federal government.”
Phase Two
Ontario government said it is preparing to move into Phase Two of its Covid-19 vaccine distribution plan next month, with a focus on vaccinating populations based on age and risk. Vaccinations continue to be offered to eligible populations at hospitals, mobile clinics and mass immunization clinics. Mass immunization clinics are a significant delivery channel to administer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Over 120 mass immunization clinics are planned to open this month across Ontario in addition to sites already open, increasing the province’s vaccine administration capacity to over 150,000 doses per day, dependent on supply.
Phase One of Ontario’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout is nearing completion, with nearly one million doses administered and over 279,000 Ontarians fully immunized. Approximately 88 per cent of long-term care residents are fully immunized and public health units continue to prioritize vaccinating staff and essential caregivers.
The province will launch an online booking system and a provincial customer service desk on March 15. These supports will help to answer questions and book appointments at mass immunization clinics, starting with those over the age of 80.
Quick Facts
- As of March 12, over 325 pharmacy sites, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall and independent pharmacies, will offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to eligible Ontarians 60-64 in Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. To book an appointment, eligible Ontarians can visit ontario.ca/pharmacyCovidvaccine to find a participating pharmacy and can contact the pharmacy to book an appointment.
- Health Canada approved the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine on February 26 for use in adults 18 years of age and older. The AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine will be offered to Ontario to eligible individuals aged 60-64 first, with informed consent including discussion about current vaccine options, information about efficacy, and the timing of future vaccine options.
- On March 5, Health Canada also approved the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Covid-19 vaccine for use in adults 18 years of age and over. Further details on Ontario’s distribution of this single-dose vaccine will be released shortly, pending guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and more information from the federal government about provincial allocations.
- For the month of March, Ontario is expecting to receive 1,454,310 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 483,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
- If you’re aged 80 or older and you do not live in a congregate care setting, you may be able to book a vaccine appointment through your public health unit. Find your public health unit and contact them for information.