Vaccine booster shots are opening up to everyone 18 years and the interval for the third shot has been shortened.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on accelerated booster shots today in an effort to combat the more contagious Omicron variant. Capacity limits are also being lowered at venues that have a capacity of 1,000 or more.
Monday, Dec. 20, anyone 18 years or older can book their third dose three months (84 days) after the second dose. The previous interval for the booster was six months. Some pharmacies and other sites may provide boosters at the three-month mark for walk-ins on Dec. 17.
“As we combat the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, nothing matters more than getting these booster doses into people’s arms” said Ford in a news release. “I am issuing a call to arms. We need every member of Team Ontario to stand tall and do their part as we work to protect our hard-fought progress and keep Ontarians safe.”
Starting Dec. 18, there will be a 50 per cent capacity limit for the indoor areas of venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or more. This includes sports and recreational fitness activities, concert venues, racing venues, museums, attractions and more.
For the holiday testing blitz that starts today, up to two million free rapid tests are being provided at pop-up testing sites in high-traffic areas such as malls, public libraries, markets and transit hubs.
The province says most sites will offer free take-home rapid antigen tests and some will have on-site asymptomatic rapid testing.
Take-home tests will also be available at some LCBO stores. The locations of the rapid tests will be available here.
Based on the Omicron data, the province expects it to become the dominant variant by the end of December.
"Early evidence suggests that a third dose or booster can further increase protection against severe illness and hospitalization. While cases were always expected to rise, the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant could put additional strain on Ontario’s hospital capacity, making it critical that all Ontarians receive their booster dose as soon as possible," reads the news release.
