Even More Ontarians Will Be Eligible To Book Their COVID-19 Booster Dose Soon

On Friday, the Ontario government announced an update to its COVID-19 public health measures, including the expansion of third dose eligibility.

In an announcement on December 10, the province said Ontarians who are 18 years old and older will be eligible to book a booster dose starting on January 4, 2022. But, in order to do so, their second dose should have been administered about six months before.

Earlier this month, Ontario expanded its vaccine rollout plan for third doses to include people aged 50 years old and over, and those who are at high risk of getting severely sick if they become infected.

As of Monday, December 13, at 8 a.m. those individuals will be able to schedule their booster dose appointments. Ontario reminded the public that eligible residents can do so by either going through the province's COVID-19 vaccine portal, by booking with the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, through Indigenous-led vaccine clinics and at participating pharmacies and primary care settings.

“All Ontarians are strongly urged to follow these and existing measures and get vaccinated with a first, second or booster dose if you have not done so already. These are the layers that are protecting everyone," Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said on Friday.

"By taking these actions, we can help to reduce the mobility of COVID-19 and its variants, protect public health and health system capacity and save lives. This is especially important as we enter the holiday season and spend more time with family and friends. We need to keep each other safe," he said.

The scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Peter Juni, has recently advised Ontarians to "reconsider" their holiday plans this season amid concerns about the Omicron variant.

"Meet with your closest friends or closest family, and postpone big family gatherings to summer, full stop," Juni told Narcity in an interview.

Earlier this week, Ontario announced it would be pausing its reopening plan indefinitely, preventing higher-risk settings from having their capacity limits lifted.

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.