Here's When You Can Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine In Ontario

Now that the province's vaccine centres have re-opened after a holiday break, plenty of Ontarians are asking the same question: When can I get vaccinated? 

After a press conference on Tuesday from the head of Ontario's vaccine task force, Rick Hillier, the answer has been made clearer.

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We will not take any more days off until we win this war against COVID-19. Rick Hillier

In the update, Hiller gave details on three phases of Ontario's vaccine plan.

The first phase is happening right now, as Ontario rushes to vaccinate frontline health care workers and people living in long-term care homes and retirement homes.

Phase 1 ends in March 2021, at which point Ontario expects to have vaccinated over 1 million people.

After that — in phase 2 — Hillier said essential workers can expect to be included for vaccine consideration.

Ontario hopes to vaccinate the bulk of the province — another 7.5 million people — in April, May, and June, at a rate of 150,000 people a day.

The province has not officially decided who gets priority in the second phase, but Hillier said they could start with elderly people aged 75 or older.

He also directly named members of First Nations communities, teachers, police officers, farm workers, and other essential workers as candidates for early vaccinations.

When phase 2 ends in July 2021, approximately 8.5 million people in Ontario will have received their vaccine — the majority of Ontarians who are willing and eligible, according to Hillier.

At that point, phase 3 begins, and the COVID-19 vaccine is treated like the flu or shingles vaccine.

Hillier said this means anybody can head to their local doctor or pharmacy and receive a vaccine.