Everyone in Ontario who is eligible for a second COVID-19 vaccine dose and wants one will get the shot by the end of August, Premier Doug Ford said today.
The province is speeding up the rollout of second Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses, reducing the interval from 16 to “as soon as four weeks” after the first shot contingent on steady shipments, the premier said during a Queen’s Park press briefing on Friday morning.
“Ontario is ready to deliver a two-dose summer,” he said.
Starting on Monday, May 31 at 8 am, people age 80 and up will be able to book second dose appointments and the following week, eligibility will expand to people 70 and up the week of June 14.
After that, booking eligibility will expand to others based on the date their received their first shot.
“Once we’ve provided more protection to our most vulnerable, we’ll begin offering Ontarians their second doses on a first in, first out basis,” Ford said. “That means we’ll expand second doses based on the day you received your first.”
However, not everyone will get their second shot four weeks after the first.
“Of course, this depends on the vaccine supply and the availability of appointments in your region,” Ford added. “While not everyone will be able to get their second dose shot four weeks after their first, we want to ensure you’re fully immunized as soon as possible.”
Here is the “anticipated” second-dose schedule, per a government press release:
- 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.
To date, the province has administered more than 8.5 million doses and 65 per cent of all eligible adults in Ontario have received a first shot.
The second-dose strategy will be sped up further if Ottawa is able to increase vaccine shipments to the province, the government said.
People can return to the same place where they received their first dose or book at another site or via a different channel. Second dose appointments can be rebooked through the provincial booking system and through pharmacies.
For people in public health units that use a local booking system or who received doses from a primary care provider or pop-up clinic, more information will follow on how and when second dose booking and rebooking will be available.
The province has already made people who received AstraZeneca doses between March 10-19 eligible for second shots because thousands of doses of that vaccine are set to expire by May 31.
After that, second doses for AstraZeneca will continue at a 12-week interval for peple who received AstraZeneca from March 21 onward, depending on supply. Booking eligibility will be based on the first in, first out system. People who received AstraZeneca are being encouraged to contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose to book the second.
“They might be redirected to a local pharmacy that is participating in administering second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the province said in a statement.
The province is already giving second doses in long-term care and retirement homes to high-risk health-care workers, people with certain health conditions and First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals.
All people in Ontario age 12 and up are currently eligible to receive a first COVID-19 vaccine dose.
