COVID-19 vaccines now available for those 40 and older

Durham Region Health Department is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Effective immediately, residents who are 40 years or older, those with at-risk health conditions and essential workers who cannot work from home – Group 2 – area now eligible to receive a vaccine, as part of the province’s vaccination rollout plan.

Area residents who are part of this eligibility group can book appointments at any community mass immunization clinic location in all Durham municipalities. To book an appointment, visit www.durham.ca/vaccineappointment or call 1-888-444-5113.

Durham Health Department says it’s important for residents to understand that once appointment bookings open, the website will experience a significant increase in traffic resulting in considerable wait times when trying to book appointments.

Residents are asked to be patient as they continue trying to access the site.

Individuals are also being asked to only book one appointment per person, which helps ensure appointments are available for everyone.

“Area residents should recognize that as eligibility continues to expand to other age groups and identified categories, demand for vaccine will also increase,” states the health department. “It is important to note that eligibility for vaccine does not mean that vaccine appointments will be available immediately.”

In addition to area mass immunization clinics, working with community partners, the health department says it has developed a strategy to ensure that as many residents as possible are able to have access to COVID-19 vaccines in communities and settings where they live.

This includes hot spot pop-up clinics and hot spot mobile clinics for residents living in hot spot postal code areas identified by the province, clinics for individuals living in certain congregate settings, workplace vaccination clinics, and a mobile immunization program for eligible homebound individuals.

The province has also recently announced the availability of Moderna vaccine at participating pharmacies in hot spot communities. This program is for residents 18 years and older living in the identified Ajax and Pickering hot spot postal code areas L1S, L1T, L1V, L1X, and L1Z.

Visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations for a list of participating pharmacies.

Durham Region Health Department notes that appointments for all vaccine clinics, including mass immunization clinics, all hot spot pop-up clinics, as well as the provision of mobile clinics, are based on vaccine availability. Once vaccine spots have been fully booked, appointments are no longer available. As additional vaccine is confirmed, more spots will be added.

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Durham Region, visit www.durham.ca/covidvaccines.