Team Toronto is ready to deliver second booster doses to more residents now that the Province of Ontario has opened up eligibility to adults 18 and older.
Today, during a visit to a Toronto Public Health (TPH) vaccine pop-up clinic at Eglinton Square, Mayor John Tory, accompanied by Councillor Joe Mihevc (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Board of Health and Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, confirmed that the Team Toronto network of more than 500 pharmacies, doctors’ offices, City of Toronto-run clinics, mobile clinics, school clinics, and pop-up clinics are ready to deliver more booster doses when eligibility opens up tomorrow at 8 a.m.
The TPH City-run immunization clinics and mobile clinics alone are ready to provide more than 3,500 daily doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Effective tomorrow, Thursday, July 14, individuals age 18 and older who received their third dose (first booster) five months ago will be eligible for a second booster dose. This group joins previously announced eligible high-risk groups, which includes individuals aged 60 and older, immunocompromised individuals, and First Nations, Inuit or Métis peoples.
Team Toronto has already delivered almost 240,000 second booster doses to eligible people.
High-risk groups, including individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, should get their second booster as soon as possible. Individuals who have been infected with COVID-19 need to wait three months before receiving their next dose.
A new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is anticipated to be approved by Health Canada this fall, which may offer more targeted protection against the Omicron variants.
As of July 7, approximately 874,700 Toronto residents aged 18 to 59 will be eligible to receive their second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with more becoming eligible in the coming weeks.
First, second, third (first booster) and fourth (second booster) doses continue to be available to residents by appointment or walk-in across the six City-run COVID-19 immunization clinics. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available. A health card is not needed.
TPH expects booked appointments for those newly eligible for second boosters will open on the provincial booking system starting tomorrow at 8 a.m.
More information, including details about each clinic location, is available on the City’s COVID-19: Where to Get Vaccinated webpage. Residents can also get their COVID-19 doses at Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, select primary care offices and other Team Toronto health care partner clinics.
TPH continues to partner with festivals and summer events to provide pop-up COVID-19 clinics this summer. These family-friendly and youth-friendly clinics will provide first, second, third, fourth and children’s COVID-19 doses to eligible residents age five and older on a walk-in basis, with no appointments or a health card required. Pfizer and Moderna will be offered by TPH nurses, who will also answer COVID-19 and vaccine-related questions. Further information about location and hours of operation is available on the City’s COVID-19: Pop-Up Immunization Clinics webpage.
Students who access one of more than 400 vaccination clinics in schools across Toronto or at City-run immunization clinics this summer for hepatitis B, meningococcal and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines may also get their COVID-19 vaccines at the same time. Information on each clinic, including locations and hours of operations, is available on the TPH Appointment Booking System. A health card is not required to book an appointment. A COVID-19 vaccination can be received at the same time as, or any time before or after the other vaccinations. Accompanying adults can also get a COVID-19 vaccine, including boosters, at the same time.
Residents can also get vaccinated at primary care offices and more than 560 pharmacies. Pharmacy locations that administer COVID-19 vaccines are available here.
As of July 7, TPH and Team Toronto have administered more than 7.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. More than 92.2 per cent of residents 12 years and older have received their first dose, while 89.7 per cent have received two doses. Approximately 66.5 per cent of eligible residents 18 years and older have received their third dose (first booster), and more than 230,000 fourth doses (second boosters) have been administered across the city.
All eligible residents are encouraged to get their third doses (first boosters) as soon as possible. As with vaccinations for other diseases, people are protected best when their COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. COVID-19 vaccinations have been scientifically proven to lower the risk of illness, hospitalization and death while protecting people, their loved ones and the community. Residents with three doses have had the lowest rate of hospitalization, compared to residents who were not vaccinated or were under-vaccinated. While the third dose (first booster) offers good protection against COVID-19, the second booster offers even further protection to residents who are at higher risk of getting the virus, which can result in serious consequences such as hospitalization, intubation and death.
Quotes:
“Team Toronto has worked to deliver more than 7.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Now that the Province has opened up eligibility for the second booster, that work will continue thanks to the strong system we’ve built to help everyone, everywhere across our city get vaccinated. Thank you to everyone who has helped our city achieve world-leading vaccination rates and thank you to all the residents who will step forward now to get their second booster to better protect themselves and the progress we have made.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Torontonians are continuing to come together to get vaccinated and protect each other. Our city remains a world-leader in vaccination rates, with more than 7.2 million doses delivered in total. This is great progress but there is more work to be done. With eligibility expanding for second boosters, our work continues to make vaccines accessible and reach every resident with all doses they are eligible for, so that everyone can get vaccinated and be protected.”
– Councillor Joe Mihevc (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Board of Health
“I encourage everyone to get vaccinated now with all the doses for which they are eligible. The virus continues to be present in our community and around the world, and it is expected that COVID-19 cases will increase when cooler weather arrives and we all move back indoors. We need to continue to take steps to protect ourselves, our family, friends and co-workers from serious illness, and this includes staying up to date with our COVID-19 vaccinations.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health
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.