Second doses accelerated in Waterloo Region, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph due to concerns over Delta variant: province
People who received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose before May 9 in Waterloo Region and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph will be able to get a second dose early, according to the Ministry of Health.
At a press conference on Thursday, officials with the province said the schedule change is due to concerns over spread of the Delta variant, the B.1.617 variant first identified in India.
Accelerated second doses appointments will also be available in Halton, Peel, Porcupine, Toronto and York.
As of Friday, there were 19 confirmed cases of the Delta variant in Waterloo Region, but health officials believe there are more based on current trends.
On Friday morning, regional officials said people can fill out an online form starting Monday to get an earlier second dose appointment.
The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph health unit says their booking system will be ready by Monday morning, with second dose appointments depending on which vaccine was received as a first dose and when it was given.
"You'll only be able to get a second dose if it's been three weeks since Pfizer, four weeks since Moderna, or twelve weeks since AstraZeneca," said associate medical officer of health Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum.
Vaccine expert and professor at the University of Waterloo Kelly Grinrod said getting the second jab is essential amid the growing threat of the Delta variant.
"The first dose of the vaccine doesn't work as well as it did for the older variants, so we really need a second dose of the vaccine to protect you against the Delta Variant," she said.
Most of the AstraZeneca vaccines administered in Waterloo Region on or before May 9 were at local pharmacies. Grinrod says pharmacists are now overwhelmed with questions about second doses.
"Patients can't get through, they can't get any work done, they are having a hard time balancing the phone calls and vaccinating people," she said.
Grinrod recommends checking for information online instead of calling a pharmacy with questions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Economists say temporary tax cut, relief cheques play into rosier growth picture
The federal government's 'meaty' move to pause federal sales tax on a long list of items and send cheques to millions of Canadians this spring could factor into an improving outlook for growth in 2025, economists say.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
Second Australian teen dies in tainted alcohol case in Laos that has killed 6 tourists
A second Australian teenager who fell critically ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos has died in a hospital in Bangkok, her family said Friday, bringing the death toll in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists to six.
Bears find a buffet of battlefield rations at Alaska military base
Hungry bears broke into a storage room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in this U.S. to feast on the military rations.
'Not good for the economy': MPs call on federal government to regulate resale concert tickets
Ticket fraud and sky-high prices for Taylor Swift concerts have some politicians calling for changes to the way tickets are sold in Canada.
Canada Post strike may affect delivery of kids' letters to Santa
Montreal school children spent an afternoon writing up their wish list to send to the North Pole.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Alliston, Ont., students invited to showcase goalie robot at world's largest tech trade show
A group of high school students from Alliston, Ont., have garnered international attention after being invited to showcase their work on a global stage.
South Korea says Russia supplied air defence missiles to North Korea in return for its troops
Russia has supplied air defence missile systems to North Korea in exchange for sending its troops to support Russia's war efforts against Ukraine, a top South Korean official said Friday.