TORONTO – Online bookings for vaccination of over-80s in Ontario are kicking off. Starting at 8 am Monday morning, it will be possible for all people born in the year 1941 or before reserving the appointment for the first and second dose of vaccine by connecting to the provincial portal www.Ontario.ca/bookvaccine or by phone, calling the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488. Already in recent weeks some local public health units – such as that of the York Region, Hamilton and Peel – had begun accepting reservations for the first dose of the vaccine. Now the entire province will offer the same service, which will only affect people aged 80 and over. Starting from April, we will see a gradual lowering of the age for people who will take precedence in vaccination against Covid-19. “It is extremely important – said Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a press conference yesterday – that at this stage only people with the right age requirements connect to the site.” Also because, the Conservative leader pointed out, a significant volume of traffic has been budgeted starting at 8 a.m., so it is likely that there will be slowdowns throughout the system, which should affect this first phase.

For the reservation, it will be necessary to have the data present on the new generation Health Card, the green one that also provides for the presence of a photo: these health cards will be accepted even if they have expired. Those who still have the old Health Card, the white and red one without photos, will have to call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line, where an operator will help the elderly to complete the vaccination reservation.

The provincial government expects a significant acceleration in the mass immunization campaign in the coming weeks. The premier reiterated that the province is ready to comply with the roadmap presented in recent days by General Rick Hillier, head of the provincial task force responsible for vaccine management.

The problem, as Ford himself said yesterday for the umpteenth time, is the lack of sufficient doses to increase the pace of the vaccination campaign. At the same time, vaccination is continuing in more than 300 Ontario pharmacies of citizens in the 60-64 age group, where AstraZeneca is inoculated.

Additional supplies of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to arrive in Ontario over the next two weeks, while for the fourth vaccine approved by Health Canada’s regulator, the first doses are expected to arrive in Canada by mid-April. “We are making steady progress in the execution of our vaccine distribution plan, and the launching of the online booking system is another major milestone,” said Premier Doug Ford. “In this phase of our plan we are still offering vaccines to our most vulnerable, so I encourage everyone aged 80 and older to use the portal to book an appointment. For everyone else, please be patient, as we get more supply, the vaccine will be offered to more people.”