NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGION
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The Regional Municipality of York is continuing to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals as quickly as possible, with 58,000 new appointments to become available next week.
On Monday, July 5, 2021 at 8 a.m., approximately 25,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be available to anyone age 12+ who live, work or go to school in York Region looking to book a first dose or who have received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine and wish to book a second dose appointment or an earlier second dose appointment.
On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 8 a.m., an additional 33,000 COVID-19 appointments will be released for all eligible individuals.
New appointments can be booked online or by phone by clicking here.
Previously booked second dose appointments will be honoured and will not be cancelled unless a new and earlier appointment is confirmed.
Second doses for youth ages 12 to 17
Offering the protection of the vaccine to youth aged 12 and over is a significant milestone in the fight against COVID-19. Beginning Monday, July 5, 2021 at 8 a.m. youth age 12 to 17 will join all other eligible individuals looking to book a second dose appointment or an accelerated second dose appointment at all York Region vaccination clinics. Second dose appointments of the Pfizer vaccine must be administered at least 28 days following receipt of the first dose.
On Wednesday, June 30, 2021, Health Canada updated the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna product monographs to describe rare reports of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart) following vaccination.
Cases of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following immunization with COVID-19 vaccines have been reported in a small number of people in Canada and internationally. These reports are rare and investigations into the association between myocarditis/pericarditis and mRNA vaccines continue.
On Friday, July 2, 2021, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released further recommendations that a complete series with an mRNA vaccine should be offered to all individuals, including those 12 years of age an older. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh any potential risks as scientific evidence shows they reduce deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19. The Government of Canada encourages people to get vaccinated and to complete their vaccine series as soon as they are eligible.
Accelerated second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for those age 12 to 17 are also available through participating pharmacies.
AstraZeneca
Individuals who received AstraZeneca as their first dose are eligible to book a second dose of AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine at participating pharmacies, primary care clinics and mass vaccination clinics as early as eight weeks after the first dose, with informed consent.
mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna)
Moderna will be used for all first and second doses appointments for individuals age 18+ at all York Region Public Health-run clinics through to at least Sunday, July 18, 2021. Individuals age 12 to 17 remain exempt from this change and will be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines are over 90% effective at preventing serious illness and death due to COVID-19. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) considers these mRNA vaccines to be interchangeable, if the same product is not readily available.
The Ministry of Health encourages all people living in Ontario to get their second dose as soon as possible due to the recent increased circulation of the Delta variant throughout the province.
If the vaccine you received for your first dose is not available at your second dose appointment, it is recommended you receive the mRNA that is available rather than delaying your second dose. Individuals who received their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can receive their second dose at a shortened interval of no less than 28 days.
York Region Public Health is working with our local health care partners to provide COVID-19 vaccines at various locations across York Region. Clinic dates and times vary for each location. Please visit york.ca/COVID19Vaccine for specific clinic details.
New appointments will be released as vaccine supply becomes available. We encourage individuals to check back regularly. Please do not visit a vaccination clinic without an appointment, unless otherwise specified.
It remains critically important for all those who have not received a first dose to get one.
On Friday, June 25, 2021 York Region transitioned to a new booking platform. All appointments previously booked at a public health-led clinic, including existing second dose appointments, have been migrated to the new booking system. Residents can expect a new customer experience when logging on to book an accelerated second dose appointment.
Given the expected high volume of web activity and telephone support, wait times may be longer than usual and service disruptions on york.ca may occur. Please continue to be patient and kind.
To ensure all appointments are available to those who are eligible, we encourage residents to book only one appointment per person.
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