TORONTO -- Not everyone in Ontario who's eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine is signing up, and it's not clear how many could be waiting to take the shot.
"I have choices right now and I guess I'm just wondering what best choice is," 61-year-old Cory Bastien told CTV News Toronto. "I'm going to be honest I’d probably prefer to get the Moderna over the AstraZeneca because of all the confusing messages."
"I'm not really anxious about it. I know we'll get it eventually," said 68-year-old Phyllis Gregory. "My experience when drug stores were doing flu shots were ridiculous. You would phone, book it all online and then you phone them and they’d say we don’t have any vaccine."
There are a variety of ways to get the COVID-19 jab in the city: mass immunization clinics for people 75 and up, pharmacies for those 60 and up.
Scarborough Health Network and North York General Hospital have also started booking appointments for people 70 and up.
But this week the Ontario government reported nearly 200,000 people in the 80 plus category hadn’t signed up.
University Health Network sent a letter urging 4,000 staff to get their first dose but 1,000 people still have since signed up to get the shot.
It's not clear how many people overall who are eligible for a vaccine may waiting.
Seniors advocacy group CanAge said mobile clinics, to apartment buildings for example, would be a big help.
CEO Laura Tamblyn Watts said seniors are keen to get the shot but confused.
"Particularly confused how to sign up, because we have a patchwork approach in Ontario, they are getting information from friends and neighbours," she said.
Also confusing she said, AstraZeneca, first approved for the 60-64 group, now deemed safe for those above 64.
"I don't blame people for being on the fence because the attention this issue has received is substantial," said Dr. Alon Vaisman, infectious disease and infection control physician at University Health Network.
Vaisman stresses all the vaccines are approved by Health Canada.
"If you can go sign up for a vaccine, you should, regardless the type of vaccine it is," he said. "We are in a public health emergency so the most important thing is to get vaccinated as soon as you can."
It's a message echoed by family physician, Dr. Anna Holland.
"I will tell you, my own mother got AstraZeneca today, and my father I believe got Pfizer or Moderna. I don't care. I just know they got vaccinated," said Holland.
"I'm just thrilled. It doesn't matter what brand it is. We are not shopping for cereal or sneakers, we just need to protect our population.”