Ontarians Can Get A Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose A Lot Sooner Now

On Friday, Premier Doug Ford announced that Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine rollout is ahead of schedule, meaning that residents will be able to receive their second dose a lot sooner than planned.

Now that 65% of Ontarians have received their first dose, the window between first and second doses will be reduced from 16 weeks to just four, the premier said.

The first group eligible for their second dose will be residents 80 years old and older, who can start to book their appointments as of May 31, followed by Ontarians 70 and older beginning on the week of June 14.

After the most vulnerable groups receive their second doses, appointments will become available to the rest of Ontario and will be offered on a "first-in, first-out" basis based on the date of the first shot, Ford said.

Anyone who received their first dose from May 10 to May 30, including those who cannot work from home and those with at-risk health conditions, will be able to start booking on August 2.

Youth between 12 and 25 years old will be eligible on August 9, as well as anyone who received their first dose from May 31 onwards.

Second-dose appointments can be made through the provincial booking system and through participating pharmacies. Individuals who received their first dose at a pop-up clinic will soon be provided with details about their second shot.

Ontario's reopening could also happen ahead of schedule

Ford's government is reportedly considering an earlier start date for stage one of Ontario's reopening plan, slated to begin when 60% of Ontarians received their first dose — a milestone that the province has already surpassed.

One of the premier's senior staffers said yesterday to CityNews reporter Cynthia Mulligan that they're "keeping a close eye" on the province's case numbers to see if the timeline could be moved up sooner than mid-June.

This comes as other provinces announce their reopening plans, including Alberta and B.C., where restrictions are being eased much sooner than in Ontario.