More Ontarians Can Book Their Second Doses This Week & Here's Who Is Eligible

Ontario is working hard to give all of its residents a second-dose summer as soon as possible. The province announced it is ramping up COVID-19 vaccines and opening up second-dose eligibility to more Ontarians starting this week.

Premier Doug Ford announced that as of 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 21, any Ontarian who received their first dose of Moderna or Pfizer on or before May 9 is now able to book or rebook their second doses.

On top of that, starting Wednesday, June 23, anyone who received their first mRNA vaccine dose on or before May 30 will be able to start their second dose bookings or rebookings if they live in one of 10 hotspots, Ford added.

The province opens up bookings that day to include anyone living in a Delta variant hot spot, including Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Peel, Porcupine, Simcoe-Muskoka, Toronto, Waterloo Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, and York.

While more Ontarians will soon be able to book their appointments, the City of Toronto announced on June 19 that its weekly Pfizer shipments have been delayed. The City will be increasing Moderna vaccine appointments to meet demands.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is telling Canadians the two mRNA vaccines are interchangeable, but any youth 12 to 17 cannot mix and match as they are not eligible to receive the Moderna vaccine.

Ontarians can book their appointments via the provincial website, through their city's website, or at any participating pharmacy.

Toronto creating thousands of new appointments

In a press release on Monday, the City of Toronto announced more than 10,000 new COVID-19 vaccine appointments for June 27.

The City will be joining forces with MLSE to host a one-day pop-up clinic at the Scotiabank Arena.

During this event, both first and second-dose appointments will be available. Residents who want to book for their second dose had to receive the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna prior to May 9, or AstraZeneca before May 1.

As of Wednesday, those who got their first mRNA vaccine prior to May 30 can also book an appointment.

The one-day event hopes to set a single-day vaccination dose record for a Canadian clinic.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on the vaccines and can answer any questions you may have. Click here for more information.