Beginning 8 a.m. Monday, those ages 80 and older can now book their appointment for a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Seniors aged 80 or older living in Oxford County, Elgin County or the City of St. Thomas can also call Southwestern Public Health’s Response Centre at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9 for a staff member to reschedule their appointment. The Response Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
These new services complement the existing COVID-19 vaccine booking line staffed by London Health Sciences Centre, which was previously the only option to re-schedule earlier appointments across both health unit regions.
Jaime Fletcher, Program Manager of the Southwestern Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force advises seniors may choose to keep their existing appointments – but those who wish to see if appointments are available sooner can now check online or call in to speak with someone about it.
To reschedule online, individuals must have a mobile phone that accepts SMS text messages, or an email address that was not used to book any other vaccine appointments – such as for other family members. Anyone who does not have access to either of these, is encouraged to call the Southwestern Public Health Response Centre or the LHSC booking line for support.
All other groups eligible for an earlier second dose appointment must call the LHSC booking line to reschedule at 226-289-3560 from 8 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. daily.
Anyone with a second dose booked in early to mid-June is advised keep their existing appointment, as there may be no earlier appointments available due to high vaccine demand.
Southwestern Public Health will focus on rescheduling second doses for 80+ year old residents before opening local eligibility to age 70 and older. It is expected local eligibility will expand to 70+ by June 14 at the latest.
