Today, Mayor John Tory announced the City of Toronto and its Team Toronto partners have ramped up vaccination capacity to 1.2 million doses per month.
This is part of the work Team Toronto is continuing to do to increase COVID-19 vaccination capacity in response to the Omicron variant to help as many people as possible get their third doses as quickly as possible.
Toronto Public Health (TPH) estimates that more than 1 million people will be eligible to get their booster dose when the Province lowers eligibility to 18-plus on Monday.
Every part of Team Toronto have been working to increase vaccination capacity including:
Over the last week, Team Toronto’s total capacity to administer vaccinations has gone from 400,000 doses per month to more than 1.2 million doses per month.
The City continues to work with TPH and all health care partners and the Government of Ontario to further ramp up booster dose capacity.
The City and the Province are working together on options that would increase capacity including encouraging more pharmacies to come on board to administer vaccinations, more doctors to sign up to offer vaccines, and more retired employees with experience administering vaccines to help clinics.
Given the threat posed by the Omicron variant, there is a critical need for all eligible Toronto residents to get their first, second and third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. There are a growing number of Team Toronto vaccine clinics operating across the city for children age five to 11 to get their first dose, and for those 12 and older to get their first, second or third dose (when eligible). Vaccine eligibility guidelines are available on the City’s Vaccine Eligibility & Doses webpage.
Quotes:
“Team Toronto has done good work at wartime speed to increase vaccination capacity to more than 1.2 million doses per month. This work is continuing so that we can help as many people as possible get their third dose as soon as possible in the coming weeks. I know that we can confront the Omicron variant and bring this pandemic to an end. Thank you to everyone who has stepped forward to get vaccinated and to everyone who will get their booster dose to make sure they have the best protection available.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Getting vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. That’s why Team Toronto is working around the clock to massively expand our capacity to deliver more doses faster. In just the last week we’ve tripled our capacity to 1.2 million doses per month and we’re not done yet. From City-run mass immunization clinics and mobile pop-ups, to hospitals, primary care physicians, and more than 500 pharmacies, there are more and more options to get a first, second, or third dose.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair, Board of Health
“Toronto Public Health and our Team Toronto partners are moving as quickly as possible to maximize our clinic capacity. With more than 1 million individuals newly eligible for a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, we want to ensure that everyone has this vital protection as soon as possible. Thank you to all of our partners for rapidly expanding clinic capacity, and thank you to both City of Toronto and Toronto Public Health staff for working around the clock to make this happen.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health
“When COVID-19 vaccines first became available in Toronto, the City worked non-stop with its Team Toronto partners to deliver a vaccination program that was accessible to every resident who was eligible for vaccination. Saving lives and protecting our healthcare system has been our primary objective, and still is. The third dose and 5-11-year-old vaccination campaigns underway now will continue to see that laser-focused effort, and I encourage everyone eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, to do so as soon as they can.”
– Matthew Pegg, Fire Chief and 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.