Nearly half of eligible Toronto residents have now received a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Syringes and vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are seen on a work surface during a drive through clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Nearly half of all Torontonians 60 and up have now received a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine, one month after the province opened up eligibility for the age group.

All residents 60 and up became eligible to receive a fourth dose on April 7 at an interval of five months from their last shot.

In a news release issued on Friday, the city said that 48.5 per cent of residents 60 and up have now received their fourth dose with “more becoming eligible every day.”

That is actually approaching the share of eligible Torontonians 12 and up who have received their third dose, which currently stands at 57 per cent.

“This is great work by Team Toronto. Thank you to every eligible resident who has stepped forward to get the protection of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine,” Mayor John Tory said in the release. “As more residents become eligible in the weeks ahead, we are ready to keep delivering those vaccine doses and continuing our world-leading vaccination efforts and outreach initiatives across the city. If you're eligible for your fourth dose, please get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Toronto Public Health says that there are about 250,000 Torontonians who are currently eligible for a fourth dose.