As of Monday morning, all Ontarians 18 years and older could start scheduling their booster dose appointments, and one Ontario city says it's already fully booked up.
Just 14 minutes after 8 a.m., when bookings were open for business, Ottawa Public Health announced that third dose appointments at city clinics had already been filled.
"We apologize for the inconvenience & are working hard to add more capacity and availability," the health unit tweeted and added that eligible Ottawans could still look for appointments through participating pharmacies. Pharmacies in Ontario could start giving third COVID-19 doses on December 17, according to the provincial government.
Meanwhile, other regions have limited who can book their appointments on Monday to make way for more vulnerable populations.
Booster doses will continue to expand to age 18+ in York Region once we are able to meet the age 50+ population demand. 3/3— York Region (@York Region) 1639837993
Melissa Pinto, corporate communications advisor for the Regional Municipality of York, told Narcity that they are prioritizing residents who are 50 years or older, are immunocompromised or have not yet received their first or second dose, since these groups are more likely to get severely ill or get sent to the hospital if they contract COVID-19.
"Booster doses will continue to expand to age 18+ in York Region once York Region Public Health is able to meet the age 50+ population demand as they are most vulnerable," Pinto said.
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit also announced it won't be accepting any walk-in appointments for anyone between the ages of 18 and 49 due to the "overwhelming demand" for booster doses at this time.
According to Alexandra Hilkene, a spokesperson for Ontario's minister of health, over 125,000 booster dose appointments were scheduled through Ontario's booking system within the first two hours of it being open to the public.
"As we continue to increase our daily capacity, individual public health units are actively working to add appointments to the booking system on an ongoing basis. Public health units will continue to keep the public informed as more appointments go live on the provincial booking system," she stated.
"We also encourage Ontarians to check regularly for availability through other channels such as pharmacies, primary care settings, and walk-in clinics."
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.
