Bookings for residents who will be 80 years of age or older in 2021 will be available through a prominent registration link on www.toronto.ca/covid-19 starting this Friday, March 12. At the time of booking, residents will schedule their first vaccination appointment and an appointment to receive their second dose. Appointments will be held at one of the three City-operated immunization clinics that will open on March 17:
- Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W.
- Scarborough Town Centre, 300 Borough Dr.
- Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Rd.
Residents will need to provide information on their provincial health card, birthdate, postal code and email and/or mobile phone number. The City has assembled frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination appointments to help eligible residents understand the appointment booking process for City-operated clinics:
https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-online-covid-19-vaccination-booking-for-residents-born-in-1941-or-earlier/.
People with existing confirmed appointments at a hospital or health sector partner COVID-19 vaccination clinic do not need to book another appointment at a City-run clinic; their existing appointment remains confirmed. Anyone with an existing appointment who chooses to book appointments at a City-operated clinic instead should cancel their hospital or clinic bookings so as many people as possible are able to receive their vaccine as quickly as possible.
The three City-run clinics will operate seven days per week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The physical set up of additional City-operated COVID-19 immunization clinics is continuing and all nine sites will open as vaccine supply allows in the coming weeks, in accordance with provincial direction. Once all nine clinics are up and running at planned capacity, the City will be able to administer more than 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine monthly. Information on City-operated clinics is available on toronto.ca: https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-protect-yourself-others/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-how-to-get-vaccinated/?accordion=city-immunization-clinics.
From March 12 to 15, the City has worked with the Province to use the provincial booking system pilot framework that was tested by the City’s proof-of-concept vaccination clinic in January and February. Building on the previous proof-of-concept work, the Province has enabled this functionality in order to allow eligible Toronto residents to schedule their appointments without delay. Approximately 133,000 individual appointments for the three initial City-operated clinics will be available in the booking system framework, with appointments available from March 17 to April 11.
On Monday, March 15, the Province is launching the new province-wide online booking system and call centre. At that time, the City will seamlessly move to the new provincial system, with online bookings for eligible seniors continuing to be made through the link on www.toronto.ca/covid-19 and the added option of booking by phone through the provincial call centre. Additional appointments will become available as the City continues to expand clinic operations in response to the availability of COVID-19 vaccine.
This is an exciting time for Toronto residents and everyone’s patience is appreciated. As of Friday, booking and vaccination appointments will only be available to eligible Toronto residents born in 1941 or earlier. Eligible residents are also able to have someone book an appointment on their behalf. People not eligible yet for a vaccine are asked not to 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 COVID-19 appointment booking help. Finally, anyone who arrive at clinics without confirmed appointments will not be vaccinated. Any new developments or information will always be shared on www.toronto.ca/covid-19.
The Province is responsible for prioritization of who gets vaccinated and has created a three-phase approach to manage vaccination rollout. Toronto is currently in Phase 1 of the Province of Ontario’s vaccination program, which prioritizes a number of vulnerable groups, including the seniors currently eligible to book vaccination appointments. More information on the provincial phases and timing is available on the Province’s Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario webpage: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/getting-covid-19-vaccine-ontario.
The City of Toronto and Toronto Public Health are working with the Province of Ontario and health sector and community partners to vaccinate people across Toronto as quickly as possible to stop the spread of COVID-19. As more vaccine is allocated to Toronto by the Province, health sector partners, like hospitals, community healthcare centres, pharmacies, City clinics and mobile clinics will operate a network of more than 350 vaccination clinics.
The Government of Canada is responsible for obtaining the supply of COVID-19 vaccines; the Province has responsibility for distributing the vaccines and identifying priority groups established under the Province’s framework; and Toronto is responsible for supporting the administration of the vaccine in accordance with provincial prioritization and scheduling frameworks as vaccines are provided by the Province.
Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 100,897 cases of COVID-19 in the city, an increase of 473 new cases today. There are 264 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 2,699 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 94,183 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-latest-city-of-toronto-news/covid-19-status-of-cases-in-toronto/.
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. The guide communicates some of what is and what is not permitted under provincial regulations and City bylaws. The guide can be found at www.toronto.ca/lockdownguide.
Quotes:
“I know people are eager to get the vaccine. We want them to be able to get it as soon as possible for as many people as vaccine supply allows. With predictable and large deliveries of doses expected over the coming weeks, I am confident that we will be able to start up the full suite of our vaccination efforts including the remaining mega-sites which are largely ready to open their doors pending supply and the many other community and mobile initiatives. We won't stop nor will our hospital and healthcare partners stop until everyone who wants their shot, has received their shot.”
- 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
