Seven hundred pharmacies in Ontario will be offering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible residents starting next week.
Premier Doug Ford announced Friday that people 60 and over will be able to book an appointment for a vaccine through one of the pharmacies or their primary care provider starting Monday, March 22nd.
In April the number of pharmacies offering the vaccine is expected to more than double to 1,500 across the province.
Also staring next week, people 75 and older can book vaccine appointments through the province's web portal.
Ford says they have the infrastructure in place to get the vaccines into arms but are having trouble getting vaccine doses from the federal government.
"We were expecting 323 thousand (doses of ) Moderna next week....we get all geared up, ready to go, 323 thousand and surprise surprise now we're not getting it.," Ford said. "We're getting 91 thousand and the balance will fall the following week so we're constantly trying to shift and keep up."
Ford says they have the capacity to vaccinate millions of Ontarians, they just don't have the vaccine.
"If we opened up everything, full tilt, we could do a high as nine million a month. I'm talking 3200 pharmacies, 233 mass immunization centres, the hospitals, the mobile units. Bring it on. We need the vaccines."
To date Ontario has received more than 1.7 million doses of vaccine and administered nearly 80 per cent of those doses. The province is holding some vaccine in reserve to ensure there are doses available for those who are due to have their second dose.
Check with your local public health website to find the best way for you to book an appointment.