COVID-19 booster vaccine in Ontario: Who is eligible and when you can sign up for another dose
Ontario announced Wednesday that it is expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster doses, beginning on Saturday, Nov. 6.
"Keeping a low rate of infection in our communities and protecting our most vulnerable is how we can keep our schools, businesses and social settings as safe as possible while avoiding further lockdowns," a statement from Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, reads.
"To provide every individual the best protection while learning to live with the virus for the long-term, we are prepared to expand booster eligibility to all Ontarians pending clinical recommendations, with eligibility expanding this week to individuals who face a higher risk of contracting COVID-19."
Who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot?
Based on the recent recommendations from the the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI), Ontario will offer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the following populations:
Individuals aged 70 and over (born in 1951 or earlier)
Health care workers and designated essential caregivers in congregate settings (including long-term care home and retirement home staff and designated caregivers)
Individuals who received a complete series of a viral vector vaccine (two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine)
First Nation, Inuit and Métis adults and their non-Indigenous household members
At least six months must have passed since their last dose to received a booster shot.
How do you book a COVID-19 booster shot in Ontario?
On Saturday, Nov. 6 at 8:00 a.m., eligible individuals can book an appointment to receive their booster dose through the COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre (1-833-943-3900), directly through public health units that use their own booking systems, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, select pharmacies, and primary care settings.
Hospital-based health care workers should reach out to their employer to get vaccinated through their hospital’s vaccination program.
Ontario is also launching Operation Remote Immunity 3.0, in coordination with Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, to support Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority and Weeneebayko Area Health Authority, First Nation health organizations, to administer booster doses locally.
