Even More Ontarians Will Be Eligible To Book Their COVID-19 Booster Dose Soon

On Friday, the Ontario government announced an update to its COVID-19 public health measures, and included in that is the expansion of third dose eligibilities come the new year.

In an announcement on December 10, the province said Ontarians who are 18 years of age and older will be eligible to book their third COVID-19 vaccine dose starting on January 4, 2022. But, in order to do so, their second COVID-19 vaccine dose should be administered about six months before their next appointment.

Earlier this month, Ontario expanded its vaccine rollout plan for third doses to include Ontarians 50-years-old and over, and those who are are high risk of getting severely sick if they contract COVID-19.

The Risks of Omicron Variant with Dr. Peter Juni youtu.be

As of Monday, December 13, at 8:00 a.m. those individuals will be able to schedule their booster dose appointments. Ontario reminded the public that eligible residents can do so by either going through the province's COVID-19 vaccine portal, by booking with the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre or through Indigenous-led vaccine clinics and at participating pharmacies and primary care settings.

“All Ontarians are strongly urged to follow these and existing measures and get vaccinated with a first, second or booster dose if you have not done so already. These are the layers that are protecting everyone," Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said in the announcement.

"By taking these actions, we can help to reduce the mobility of COVID-19 and its variants, protect public health and health system capacity and save lives. This is especially important as we enter the holiday season and spend more time with family and friends. We need to keep each other safe," he said.

The scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Peter Juni, has recently advised Ontarians to "reconsider" their holiday plans this season amid concerns about the new Omicron variant.

"Meet with your closest friends or closest family, and postpone big family gatherings to summer, full stop," Dr. Juni told Narcity in a previous interview.

Earlier this week, too, Ontario announced it would be pausing its reopening plan indefinitely, which prevents higher-risk settings from having their capacity limits lifted.