COVID-19 booster shot bookings for 50-plus begin Dec. 13 in Guelph: public health

Guelph’s public health unit says residents who are 50 years of age and older can start to book appointments for a third COVID-19 vaccination beginning Dec. 13.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health uses its own booking system, and a spokesperson said its registration date for this group is in line with the provincial system.

In order to book an appointment for a booster shot, eligible individuals must have received their second dose of the vaccine at least six months ago.

“If you are eligible for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, please book your appointment as soon as you can to provide yourself with an extra layer of protection,” Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said.

Provincial officials also said it will expand eligibility again in January for booster doses based on age and risk with a six-to-eight month interval from the second dose.

Third doses were already available in late summer for those high-risk populations such as transplant recipients, patients with hematological cancers in active treatment, recipients of an anti-CD20 agent, residents of long-term care homes and retirements homes, those in First Nations eldercare lodges and seniors in congregate settings.

In early November, third doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were then further expanded for seniors aged 70 and older, those who previously got two doses of AstraZeneca, and health-care workers, among others.

In November, more than 11,000 individuals received a booster shot in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph.

As of Thursday, 81 per cent of eligible residents over the age of five are considered fully vaccinated while 84 per cent have had one dose of vaccine.

Nearly 500,000 doses have been administered since the vaccine rollout began in the region in January 2021.