City-run vaccine clinics ramp up as thousands of Torontonians become eligible for COVID-19 booster shots

Thestar.com
Nov. 4, 2021

About 65,000 more Torontonians will become eligible Monday for third doses of COVID-19 vaccine, says the city’s public health chief.

Dr. Eileen de Villa welcomed the Ontario government’s expansion of who can get booster shots to extend immunity from the virus, while assuring people not yet eligible that two vaccine doses still provides “strong” protection.

To manage the increased demand, the five city-run immunization clinics will revert to vaccination by appointment only, after earlier switching to drop-in availability.

On Saturday at 8 a.m., 40,000 new appointments over the next two weeks will become available at the city clinics through the provincial booking system, but Torontonians eligible for booster shots have other options.

Health-care workers, for example, can get vaccinated through their affiliated hospital, while anyone eligible for a third dose can get it at one of 450 participating pharmacies in the city. Appointment options are listed here.

More than 26,000 Torontonians have already received boosters. Eligibility expansion broadens the pool to include many health-care workers, people aged 70 or older, many immunocompromised people, Ontarians who received two doses of a viral vector vaccine such as AstraZeneca, and other at-risk populations.

Third doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can’t be administered until six to eight months after people got their second dose, depending on their reason for eligibility.

De Villa on Wednesday urged anyone eligible for a third shot to get the extra protection to limit the risk of virus spread and hasten the end of the pandemic, and anyone with zero or one shots to get a second shot.

Public health data shows that unvaccinated Torontonians are four times more likely to get COVID-19, five times more likely to be hospitalized, and 42 times more likely to be admitted to intensive care.

“This protection is for you and your family, and for the entire community -- especially for our younger children who are not yet eligible for vaccination,” said de Villa.

The health unit is preparing for government approval of COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, posting information for parents and guardians, and booking sites for clinics, including schools.

“We’re still hopeful that we’re on the order of weeks away,” from being able to start immunizing the young children, once Health Canada and the Ontario Health Ministry has approved it, de Villa said.

Anyone aged 12 and over, currently eligible for vaccination, can also get a flu shot at the city-run clinics, she said, adding there is no health concern about getting both vaccinations at the same time.

As part of its campaign to get 90 per cent of eligible Torontonians fully vaccinated, the city is operating four “super supportive” clinics on Friday and Saturday in Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough.

The clinics offer extra supports for people with physical disabilities, an extreme fear of needles, need for quiet space or a support person and other issues.