Vaccine administration will focus on age as the most significant predictor of death or hospitalization from Covid-19, and on risk, with some adjustments for Covid-19 hot spots, specific health conditions, congregate care settings, essential caregivers and workers who cannot work from home, according to a media statement.
During Phase Two, the following groups will be eligible for vaccination:
- Older adults, between 60-75-79 years of age;
- Individuals with specific health conditions and some primary caregivers;
- People who live and work in congregate settings and some primary caregivers;
- People who live in hot spots with high rates of death, hospitalizations and transmission; and,
- Certain workers who cannot work from home.
Ontario is expecting to vaccinate these groups from April to July 2021, depending on availability of vaccines from the federal government.
Detailed List: Populations Eligible for Phase Two Covid-19 Vaccination
“Due to the incredible work of an army of people we have a solid vaccine distribution plan and we are ready to get needles into arms as soon as the doses arrive,” said Premier Doug Ford. “This is a true Team Ontario effort and we are mobilizing our greatest asset – the people of Ontario. Vaccines will be administered in hospital clinics, primary care settings, mass vaccination sites, mobile clinics and pharmacies across the province by dedicated, caring and compassionate frontline health care heroes.”
With vaccine supply stabilizing and over two million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine expected from the federal government before the end of March, the province will enter Phase Two of its vaccine rollout. Between April 2021 and July 2021, up to nine million Ontarians will be vaccinated.
Phase One
Phase One of Ontario’s vaccination rollout is well underway, with 820,000 doses administered and over 269,000 Ontarians fully immunized. Over 80 per cent of long-term care residents are fully immunized and public health units are working with homes to vaccinate staff and essential caregivers as a priority. Some local public health units, based on local context and capacity, have been able to vaccinate some people aged over 80, before the anticipated timeframe of mid-March. By focusing early vaccination efforts on long-term care residents, combined with public health measures, Ontario has notably reduced infections and the daily death rates in long-term care homes.
Starting March 15th, the province will launch an online booking system and a provincial customer service desk to answer questions and support appointment bookings at mass immunization clinics. This will initially support individuals over the age of 80 as part of Phase One, eventually extending to more groups during Phase Two. While some public health units are currently using their own booking systems to vaccinate individuals aged 80 and over, it is anticipated that the majority of public health units will transition to the provincial booking system after it has launched.
Quick Facts
- As of March 4, 2021, at 8:00 p.m., over 820,000 vaccine doses have been administered across the province, including over 121,000 doses administered to long-term care home residents. Over 269,000 Ontarians are fully immunized, including over 55,000 long-term care home residents. Ontario is leading the country in the total number of vaccines administered and has fully immunized more individuals than all provinces and territories combined.
- As of this week, all adults in the 31 fly-in First Nations communities and Moosonee have been offered their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and second doses have commenced in some communities. As of March 3, 2021, Operation Remote Immunity has administered 13,788 doses as follows – 11,958 first doses, and 1,830 second doses.
- For the month of March, Ontario is expecting to receive 870,480 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 483,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Ontario is also expecting to receive 194,500 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine the week of March 8, timing pending confirmation from the federal government.
- If you’re aged 80 or older and you don’t 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.
- Health care professionals who are able to administer the vaccine can register and apply through Ontario’s Matching Portal. This could include physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and registered practical nurses, along with pharmacists, pharmacy students, interns and pharmacy technicians.
- As part of its commitment to ensure an equitable vaccine rollout, Ontario will begin collecting sociodemographic data on a voluntary basis from individuals who get the Covid-19 vaccine starting Friday, March 5, 2021. Collecting this data will help the province have a more complete picture of who is being vaccinated, help ensure access to the vaccine for communities who are at-risk and disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and ensure that everyone who wants to be vaccinated is being reached.
- Only vaccines that Health Canada determines to be safe and effective will be approved for use in Canada and available in Ontario. This means all Covid-19 vaccines being offered: were tested on a large number of people through extensive clinical trials; have met all the requirements for approval, including safety; and will be monitored for any adverse reactions that may occur after vaccination and appropriate measures will be taken.