Ontarians say initial vax appointments tough to cancel once earlier dose booked
Some Ontario residents say they're finding it difficult to cancel their original COVID-19 vaccine appointments after securing earlier second shots.
The province has been accelerating second doses for a growing number of residents but has left it up to individuals to move up their appointments.
Neli Trevisan said she was unable to cancel her original second-dose appointment on Ontario's vaccine booking portal this week.
The resident of Barrie, Ont., said she initially had an appointment booked through the provincial system for Friday but was able to find a pharmacy that offered her a second dose on Tuesday.
She said she was able to eventually get through to someone on the provincial phone line but expressed frustration at the process.
"I wanted to cancel so (the slot) will go to someone else," she said, adding that the person she spoke with was thankful she canceled her appointment. "He said that not many people cancel and there are no-shows."
Chris Johnston-Ardern from Toronto had a similar experience trying to cancel her original second-dose appointment, which was automatically scheduled for the end of July after she received her first shot.
While she was able to receive her second dose at a pharmacy last week, Johnston-Ardern said the system did not cancel the original appointment and she had to call to scrap it.
"How this could have been easier, I could tell you multiple ways," she said, adding that it would have been simplest if her original appointment was automatically cancelled once her second dose was registered by the province.
The Ministry of Health said original appointments are automatically cancelled for people who make earlier ones through the provincial booking system -- but that doesn't apply to new bookings made through alternate systems, such as at pharmacies or individual public health units' sites.
The government said individuals can call the provincial phone line to cancel or reschedule their appointment. Individuals can also manage their appointments on the provincial system at https://vaccine.covaxonbooking.ca/manage
"The province is aware that people are signing up for multiple appointments and ask that people only sign up for one appointment at a time. If people do book multiple appointments, it is their responsibility to cancel their appointments," said spokesman Bill Campbell.
In at least one region, no-shows at vaccine clinics have been noted as an issue.
Dr. Miriam Klassen, Huron Perth Public Health's top doctor, said earlier this month that individuals have been making several appointments and showing up to the one that suits them best, without cancelling the rest.
"When someone does not cancel an unneeded appointment, that means someone else in the community has missed out on an appointment they could have taken," the health unit said.
In Toronto, the Humber River Hospital said it offers both appointments and walk-ins at its mass vaccination site to avoid wasting doses when people don't show up for appointments.
"We never have wastage," said Lisa Bitonti-Bengert, its senior director for clinical innovation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.