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The province of Ontario is speeding up eligibility for second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with officials saying they expect most people who want a vaccine will be fully immunized by the end of summer.
In a somewhat short press conference this morning, Premier Doug Ford said his new goal is to fully immunize everyone in Ontario by "the end of August." Ford also said today that Ontario is ahead of the schedule it had set for vaccination: "We're all getting one step closer to returning to normal," Ford said.
To support this accelerated rollout, the province has developed an anticipated schedule for eligibility to accelerate second doses - based on supply Ontario hopes to receive.
People age 80 and up will be the first group able to book an appointment for a second shot beginning next week, the week of May 31, 2021. Next will be those age 70 and up two weeks later. After that point, the province will shift to a "first-in, first-out" strategy, in which Ontarians will be able to book an appointment for their second dose depending on when they had a first.
Halton Region works somewhat differently, because booking in Halton (and Oakville) is though our own, faster system than Ontario's provincial booking system. Halton has not yet commented about Ford's announcement today or how closely they will follow the provincial schedule or if they will move up vaccination appointments.
Province of Ontario
Anticipated second dose schedule for summer 2021
According to the province, the following is "an anticipated schedule for eligibility to book a second dose appointment based on confirmed supply."
- Week of May 31: individuals aged 80+
- Week of June 14: individuals aged 70+
- Week of June 28: individuals who received their first dose between the week of March 8 to April 18, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals with the highest-risk health conditions and special education workers.
- Week of July 19: individuals who received their first dose between the week of April 19 to May 9, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals aged 50 and over, as well as individuals with high-risk health conditions.
- Week of August 2: individuals who received their first dose between the week of May 10 to May 30, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals who cannot work from home and individuals who have at-risk health conditions.
- Week of August 9 to 16: individuals aged 12 to 25
- Week of August 9: individuals who received their first dose from the week of May 31 onwards on a “first-in, first out” basis, respecting the recommended intervals.
"Individuals who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine from March 21 onwards will be eligible to receive a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine from May 31 onwards at a 12-week interval," says a press release, "with appointment dates based on the timing of their first dose."
Ontario has already begun offering second doses of COVID-19 vaccines at a shortened interval to certain groups, including high-risk health care workers, individuals with certain health conditions and First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals.
In addition, the province says the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine "is being offered at an accelerated pace with a 10-week interval for individuals who received their first dose between March 10 to March 19, 2021. Acceleration of AstraZeneca second doses will proceed on a 12-week interval, with booking eligibility based on date of first dose."
As of this morning, Ontario has administered more than 8.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Ford also spent some time this morning addressing his criticism of the Federal government's border response and telling parents he still hasn't made a decision about whether Ontario schools will reopen this school year.
A full video of this morning's press conference is available at this link here. More reading on today's announcement is also available directly from the province here.
