Some seniors struggle to find timely booster appointments as eligibility and demand increases

Demand for booster shots across Ontario is very high.

Kitchener resident Bob Janzen says he found the process to be smooth.

“I have my third dose already and it just went very well. Straight forward,” Janzen said.

However, it hasn't been smooth for everyone.

On Dec. 13, those 50 and over became eligible for a booster shot.

At the end of that same week, as case counts increased dramatically, the province announced anyone 18 and over would also be eligible as of Dec. 20, nearly two weeks earlier than previously announced.

This left people between 50 and 69 years old just one week to secure their appointment before the competition increased tenfold.

Many people over the age of 50 have expressed online, even before the age increase announcement, that they had difficulty finding a timely appointment.

Kitchener resident Herbert Reiko, who lives in a nearby retirement home, arrived at the Kitchener Public Library 6:45 a.m. Monday to line up for the Region of Waterloo’s vaccination bus.

“We've got people in their 90s living in my building and I don’t want to be guilty of passing that virus on to anybody else,” Reiko said.

That morning, approximately 500 people of all ages lined up for a shot on a bus that had 50 doses on board.

Reiko who showed up over two hours before the mobile clinic opened, was thankful to get a booster that morning.

Officials are asking the public to line up at a bus, only if it is in their neighborhood.

Public Health told CTV News, “vaccination buses will be placed in priority communities where residents are facing the greatest access barriers to vaccination, leading to increased COVID risk. Currently, vaccination buses are intended for members of these communities.”

“If we see an ongoing interest from the 50 older group, they can't get appointments, we are looking at means by which we can increase their accessibility," said Dr. Kieran Moore during a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Dr. Moore indicated this may be an issue they are aware of,

“So we've heard these issues. Our health units and partners are all trying to address them.”

President of the Guelph Wellington Seniors Association, Brian Smith told CTV News in an email,

“getting prompt access to booster shots is presenting a challenge for many people, and a convenient and timely process for that would be especially helpful to those more vulnerable seniors who were unable to obtain appointments easily.”

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health spokesperson Anna Vanderlaan explained, “Omicron changed the pandemic landscape dramatically.”

Vanderlaan said additional clinics have been added to the region in hopes of helping get shots in arms as quickly as possible.

“We have prioritized contacting our older population to schedule their booster appointments. Our team provided individual phone calls to our population 70+ over the past several weeks to assist them with booking their appointments,” Vanderlaan added.

Region of Waterloo Public Health says more appointments are being added as soon as possible and that more vaccination buses are being deployed too.

Dr. Moore says the province is increasing daily doses at an accelerated rate and officials are working to decrease wait time post- vaccine shot from 15 minutes to five, all in hopes of fast tracking the process.

“We are pulling out all the stops to try to have as many immunizers available to Ontarians as possible,” Dr. Moore added.

Officials are reminding the public that booster appointments can be booked many ways, including through the province, local public health units, pharmacies or family doctors.