More Simcoe County residents can book a second COVID-19 vaccine dose
Starting Monday, Simcoe County residents who received the AstraZeneca vaccine can book their second shot eight weeks after getting their first dose.
Previously the Ontario government had set a 12-week minimum wait for people who received AstraZeneca.
"We need to get people fully immunized if we're going to fight the delta variant," says Dr. Sohail Gandhi, the past president of the Ontario Medical Association who now practices in Stayner. "So this is really huge, and I'm really glad to see it, and frankly, I'm glad to see that we've got the supply of vaccines to do it."
People can also choose if they want a second dose of AstraZeneca or switch to Pfizer or Moderna.
Eligible people can book COVID-19 vaccine appointments through the provincial booking system or local health units.
The team at Pro-Health Pharmacy in Barrie says its phone lines were busy this morning, with many eager to rebook their second dose.
"So currently, we are giving Moderna vaccines," says pharmacist Shamshad Mansuri. "But I just got a fax today that I'll be getting more doses of Astrazeneca as well, so the people who got Astrazeneca they will have an option to choose either-or."
Also, as of Monday morning, second does appointments are being escalated in seven regions in the province where the highly transmissible delta variant is circulating. One of those is York Region, where new pop-up clinics are being planned in order to meet demand.
"The uptake has been phenomenal," says Dr. Karim Kurji, the medical officer of health for York Region.
"We have already vaccinated almost 20 per cent of individuals for their second doses."
This morning there were approximately 18,600 new appointments available in York Region. However, the website had more than 28,000 concurrent users.
Meanwhile, Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston is reducing the hours of its COVID-19 assessment centre from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Ontario recorded another 530 cases of COVID-19 yesterday.
With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.