Ontario's vaccine roll out got some good news Thursday as Health Minister Christine Elliott announced that as of May 24, all Ontarians aged 18 and older will be eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
Additionally, starting April 30 at 8 a.m. all individuals in Ontario aged 55 and older will be eligible to book their vaccine appointments.
Elliott says that an increased and more predictable supply of COVID-19 vaccines is on the way, and will allow the province to continue ramping up its vaccination efforts.
"The way out of this pandemic is vaccines," said Elliott.
As of April 28, there had been five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered across the province, with 4.6 million people receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
Starting next week, Ontario will start receiving an increased supply of vaccines, which will allow the province to not only put an increased focus on hot spots, but do so without redirecting vaccines away from other regions.
"The province will increase the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to hot spot communities by over one million doses," said Elliott. "During the weeks of May 3 and May 10, 50 per cent of the vaccine shipments will be dedicated to hot spot communities."
Vaccines will be administered through mobile teams, pop-up clinics, mass immunization clinics, hospitals, primary care facilities and pharmacies.
"This targeted, time-limited approach is designed to reduce COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in our most at-risk communities," said Elliott.
"At the same time, an increased supply of vaccinations means we will not be taking away vaccines from other public health regions. Their allocations will remain the same as previously planned and will increase later in May."
