Beginning 8 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday), more individuals will be able to book their appointment for a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. During a COVID-19 update this afternoon, medical officer of health Dr. Joyce Lock explained who is eligible.
Those 70 years of age 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.
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.
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.
Updates to clinic operations include:
• expanding the Goff Hall-Woodstock clinic to administer up to 1,000 per day
• transitioning the Tillsonburg clinic to offer Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to allow vaccinations for ages
12+ until June 25th (will be re-examined closer to that date)
• offering more frequent pop-up and mobile clinics across the region in areas that are smaller or
more isolated; this will be evaluated on an ongoing basis
• further expansion at local pharmacy and primary care to offer vaccinations at more locations,
including mRNA options for first and second doses; and
• expanding the Same Day Vaccination List to include eligible individuals seeking an earlier second
dose who can present to a local clinic within 30 minutes for a cancelled or end-of-day dose.
All modifications will be in-place by mid-June in preparation for higher demand in July and August.
