All Ontario adults who received mRNA vaccine eligible for accelerated 2nd dose

More Ontarians will become eligible for an accelerated second COVID-19 vaccine on Monday morning.

The province will allow any residents 18 and older who received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine to move up their appointment.

Recipients of a first dose of Pfizer or Moderna can receive their second jab as soon as 28 days after their first shot.

Starting at 8 a.m., people will be able to book through the province’s booking system or directly through public health units that use their own booking system, and through participating pharmacies.

According to the province, this will accelerate second dose eligibility for approximately 1.5 million Ontarians.

“Ontario’s vaccine rollout continues to pick up speed, allowing us to provide more second doses ahead of schedule while supporting our communities most at risk,” said Health Minister Christine Elliott in a statement. “All vaccines provide strong protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, and I encourage everyone to book your second dose appointment as soon as possible.”

As of June 12, individuals who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are able to get their second dose in eight weeks rather than 12 weeks.

Those who got AstraZeneca as a first dose have the option of getting a second dose of the same vaccine or an mRNA vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna.

Youth aged 12 to 17 who live in 10 Delta variant hot spots became eligible to book an accelerated second dose appointment over the weekend.

Delta hot spot regions:

• Durham
• Halton
• Hamilton
• Peel
• Porcupine
• Simcoe-Muskoka
• Toronto
• Waterloo
• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph
• York

 

The province says more than one million doses were administered in Delta hot spots between June 14 and June 23 and another 230,000 doses were provided to the hot spot regions for the week of June 21.

“Vaccines remain the best defence against COVID-19 and its variants and we encourage everyone to get their first or second dose at their earliest opportunity to keep themselves, their families and our communities safe,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.

As of 8:00 p.m. Sunday, 14,027,141 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ontario, 76.3 per cent of Ontario residents 12 and older have received at least one dose while 32.2 per cent are now fully vaccinated.

A mass vaccination clinic held Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto administered close to 27,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, setting a new North American single-day record.

Public health officials say 26,771 doses were administered to more than 25,000 adults and almost 1,300 youth as part of the “Our Winning Shot” initiative, breaking the previous record of 17,003 set back in April at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.