This Website Breaks Down Exactly How To Book A Vaccination Appointment Anywhere In Ontario

A new website created by Toronto resident Anna Carey has broken down all the ways that Ontarians can book a vaccination appointment in the province.

The site isn't officially affiliated with Toronto or Ontario's vaccine rollout plan, but residents anywhere in the province can use Carey's site to find out exactly how, when and where they can get vaccinated.

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Booking a vaccination

The website — getvaccinatedontario.com — helps Ontarians find their public health units and priority groups, with links to government webpages in case visitors don't know which they belong to.

From there, the website lists links to vaccination locations at pharmacies, hospitals, and city-run sites, along with a link to the province's booking system and extra information for Indigenous peoples seeking Ontario vaccinations.

After visitors have checked the full list of eligibility requirements on the site, they can also click through to book an appointment with their respective public health unit or local vaccination site.

"Ideally, we'd have a functional provincial booking system that covered everybody, including the pharmacy pilot, rather than the hodgepodge of public health unit systems," Carey said in an email to Narcity.

"Compiling links was the thing I could think of to help with that, and now that I'm partially vaccinated, I'm exploring some options for reaching out to people who aren't as internet-ready," she said.

Frustration at the current system

Carey started the website just for Toronto on March 27, and she told Narcity that it was borne out of frustration.

"I knew there was a vaccine clinic down the street from my house, but I had to look for days to figure out how it fit into the system in the city and how people were getting appointments there," Carey said.

"When I finally figured out that the hospital sites were all on their own booking systems that weren't linked to the provincial system, I got angry and made the list of links for Toronto," she said.

"I posted that and it got a bit of attention, and soon people were asking if I had information for other public health units. I spent the week compiling anything I could find, and now I have information for all the PHUs in Ontario."

Helping people get vaccinated

Carey is working on the website while she cares for a child at home on leave from work.

With a Google Alerts list "a mile long," Carey said she'll keep the site on the back burner — updating when she needs to — for the rest of the year.

"The unfortunate reality of the situation right now is that there aren't enough [appointments] for everybody and [booking involves] being quick with the clicks," Carey said.

She said the site has had over 4000 unique visitors. Several people have found appointments through her website so far, too, and Carey will keep helping those who message her directly.

"I've tried to be clear that I'm not affiliated with the government or public health in any way; I'm just a community member trying to help out," she explained.

"I'm trying to make space for people's understandable frustration with how badly this has been handled. But honestly, [people have] been overwhelmingly appreciative."

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.