York Region opening 38,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments Friday

The local public health unit will be aligned with the provincial rollout again, as of June 25

Newmarkettoday.ca
June 25, 2021
Debora Kelly

About 38,000 new COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be available at York Region clinics as of tomorrow morning.

As of Friday, June 25 at 8 a.m., individuals age 12 and older who live, work or go to school in York Region can book a first dose, while  individuals aged 18 and older who have received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before May 30 can book an earlier second dose.

Appointments can be booked online or by phone by visiting york.ca/COVID19Vaccine.

Previously booked second dose appointments will be honoured and will not be cancelled unless a new and earlier appointment is confirmed.

The Ministry of Health is maintaining the interval between doses to eight and 16 weeks for ages 12 to 17, according to regional spokesperson Patrick Casey.

However, some residents age 12 to 17 may be eligible for their second dose of Pfizer beginning June 25 if at higher risk due to health conditions or for young adults who are unable to work from home, Casey said.

"The priority continues to be administering first doses -- for youth and for the remaining adults who have yet to be vaccinated," he added.

York Region delayed its COVID-19 vaccine rollout to switch to a new booking system this week, as the province expanded eligibility of second dose appointments to individuals who received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before May 30 as of Wednesday, June 23.

All appointments previously booked at a public health-led clinic, including existing second dose appointments, will be migrated to the new booking system,

"As a result, residents can expect a new and improved customer experience when logging on to book an accelerated second dose appointment," Casey said.

The new system also provides users with the ability to reschedule a second dose appointment, rather than book a new appointment, he added.

Residents do not need to log into the new booking system or create a user name or password in advance.