The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Today, the City opened vaccination registration on toronto.ca/covid-19 to Toronto residents born in 1941 and earlier for appointments at six City-operated immunization clinics.
The launch of registration is an exciting time and the culmination of tireless work by the City’s Immunization Task Force and provincial partners. The excitement of the wider community was evident as the link received more than 1,500 clicks within 10 minutes of going live. In the five hours the registration link has been live, 4,902 people have booked vaccination appointments. The City and Toronto Public Health are looking forward to getting needles in arms starting Wednesday, March 17.
More information about booking for eligible seniors aged 80 and over is available on toronto.ca. Eligible residents or trusted delegates booking on their behalf are reminded there will be a brief interruption in booking from Sunday, March 14 at 8 p.m. to the morning of Monday, March 15 when the Province of Ontario launches the new province-wide online booking system and call centre.
The City and Toronto Public Health are working with the Province and health sector and community partners to vaccinate people across Toronto as quickly as possible. Right now, booking and vaccination appointments are only be available to eligible residents born in 1941 or earlier. People not eligible yet for a vaccine should not try to access the registration system as it may impact the efficiency of the system. City 311 and Toronto Public Health staff do not have access to the provincial booking system and are not able to help with registration; no one should call 311 or Toronto Public Health for appointment booking help.
Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 101,660 cases of COVID-19 in the city, an increase of 456 new cases today. There are 283 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 2,709 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 94,845 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform.
As Toronto awaits the rollout of mass immunization, to reduce and eliminate the transmission of COVID-19, protect the healthcare system and save lives, the City continues to urge all residents to stay home as much as possible to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Please review the City’s simple “Dos” and “Don’ts” guide for recommended and mandatory public health measures under provincial regulations and City bylaws.
Quotes:
“It is great to know that 4,902 people 80 and older have already registered to get their COVID-19 vaccine at the City-run clinics starting next week. I want to thank people who have signed up today and encourage others who are eligible to book their shot as soon as possible. We know enough vaccine is coming to our City next week to provide 133,000 appointments. Thank you to everyone who is working on this ongoing vaccination effort so that we can end the pandemic as soon as possible.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Vaccines are one of the most powerful COVID-19 prevention tools available to us. Of the four approved for use in Canada, each offers real protection against the worst risks of COVID-19. I encourage everyone to get one as the Province’s prioritization framework is implemented.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health
“The opening of our three City-operated mass immunization clinics for Torontonians over the age of 80 is just the beginning. As soon as we have more vaccine supply, we’ll bring all nine of the City’s mass immunization clinics online, which together have the capacity to scale up to nearly one million doses per month. It’s a Team Toronto vaccine effort as Toronto’s mass immunization clinics will be supplemented by more than 350 vaccination sites in hospitals, pharmacies, and health centres. Now, let’s get needles in arms.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Board of Health
“Bringing the booking system online on March 12 will enable Toronto residents, who are 80 years of age and older, to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment in a City-operated mass immunization clinic without delay. This is a big step forward in our fight against COVID-19. We will continue to bring additional clinic capacity online over the next number of weeks, as vaccine availability permits.”
– Chief Matthew Pegg, General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.