Ontarians won't have to wait as long as expected to get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The provincial government announced on Friday it is shortening the intervals between doses as supply of the vaccine has become more reliable.
"Based on what we know about upcoming shipments, everyone in Ontario who wants a vaccine could be fully vaccinated by the end of August," said Premier Doug Ford. "It means more protection from this horrible virus sooner. It means we can begin getting back to doing the things we love, and it means we're all getting one step closer to returning to normal. Because the faster we can deliver vaccines, the faster we can put this pandemic behind us for good."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces shortened COVID-19 vaccine intervals, May 28, 2021.
People 80 and older can begin booking earlier second dose appointments as of 8 a.m. on Monday.
Those in the 70-plus crowd can begin rescheduling for earlier appointments as of June 14.
"Once we've provided more protection to our most vulnerable , we will begin offering Ontarians their second doses on a 'first in, first out' basis. That means we will expand second doses based on the date you received your first," said Ford. "As we do, we are reducing the time between your first and second dose. Down from the current 16 weeks to as soon as four weeks after your first shot. Of course this depends on the vaccine supply and the availability of appointments in your region."
Some members of the population, including high-risk health care workers, individuals with certain health conditions, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals were already eligible for their second dose at a shortened interval.
Under the province's new accelerated second dose plan, young Ontarians between the ages of 12 and 25 will become eligible in early August. That means hundreds of thousands of students could be fully vaccinated by the start of the September school year.
The province has also stated that the wait for the second dose could be further shortened in the future should the federal government confirm increased deliveries of the vaccine.
As of Thursday, 65 per cent of all adults in Ontario have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while more than 624,900 people have been given both shots to be considered fully immunized. Ontario is currently averaging roughly 134,800 shots per day.
The province expects to receive approximately 4.7 million doses of vaccines in June and another 3.5 million doses in July, most of which will be the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Second doses for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will continue at the 10-week interval for those who received their first dose between March 10 and March 19. The delivery of the second dose was sped up for that group due to a large amount of the vaccine that was due to expire. The interval switches to a 12-week period for anyone who received AstraZeneca after March 19 and will be delivered using the same "first in, first out" method.
Second dose appointments can be booked at mass vaccination clinics, mobile clinics, hospitals, or pharmacies through Ontario’s online vaccine booking system or the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900.