Ontario expands eligibility for second doses, promises new rules coming 'very shortly' for vaccinated people
Ontario is expanding eligibility for second COVID-19 vaccine doses as the province promises new guidelines will come "very shortly" outlining what freedoms vaccinated people will have.
As of June 23, the province will add Hamilton, Simcoe-Muskoka, and Durham Region to the Delta variant hot spot list, which means adult residents in those areas will become eligible to book their second vaccine if they had their first shot on or before May 30.
Halton, Peel, Porcupine, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, and York Region had already been declared Delta variant hot spots by the province. People in those seven regions who had their first shot before May 30 will also become eligible to book their second dose.
Starting Monday, all adults in Ontario who received either Pfizer or Moderna as their first dose before May 10 will be eligible to book their second shot.
The province said everyone else in Ontario who got a first shot on or after May 10 – except for people between 12 and 17 – will be eligible to book their second dose starting June 28.
Bookings for second doses for youth between the age of 12 and 17 is expected to begin between after Aug 9.
The new dose interval could now be as short as 28 days, officials say.
Those who had Moderna or Pfizer for their first dose can now have either for their second dose, while people who had AstraZeneca for their first dose can either have the same, or opt for Moderna or Pfizer.
To date, 75 per cent of Ontarians have received their first dose, while 19 per cent have had both doses. That means nearly 12 million people have received one dose, while 2.3 million have had both.
In order to move to Step 2, the province needs to hit 20 per cent of people who received both doses.
Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday he will meet with the province's top doctor to make a decision about whether Ontario can make an earlier move to Step 2.
Ford made the comment after being asked about the province's success in dramatically lowering the number of daily COVID-19 cases.
"I'll be sitting down with the health table and Dr. Williams, and we'll make that decision," Ford said about potentially moving into Step 2 early. "But no one in this province wants to open up quicker than I do."
People with one vaccine dose are believed to be less protected against the Delta variant, which is also considered far more transmissible than other strains.
GUIDELINES COMING FOR VACCINATED PEOPLE
Health Minister Christine Elliott promised on Thursday that guidance will be coming soon on what Ontarians can do after they are vaccinated.
"We will be releasing guidance very shortly because I know that people are wondering if they had both vaccines, should they be able to go about their usual business? Do they need to wear a mask?" Elliott said.
"We are going to be releasing guidelines for each of the three steps about what people should continue to do .. Because I know people want to follow the rules."
Ontario's current three-step reopening plan does not include any details about what restrictions can be eased for people who are fully immunized.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Canadian Hurricane Centre says active storm season predicted for East Coast
The Canadian Hurricane Centre is predicting an active storm season off the country's East Coast this year, mainly due to record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
U.S. senators write to Trudeau asking him to meet 2% GDP defence spending commitment
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.