Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/April 30, 2021 – Beginning today, Friday, April 30, individuals aged 55 and older can book an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccination in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties at ontario.ca/bookvaccine. Online booking is encouraged. If you are unable to book online, you are advised to contact the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900. The Booking Line is available 8 a.m.- 8 p.m., Monday-Sunday.
Please be Patient
While the province has lowered eligibility for booking to individuals 55 and older, HPEPH can only administer the amount of vaccines received in our region each week. Unfortunately, this means that being eligible to book does not guarantee that an appointment will be available right away. It is anticipated that local supply will increase near the end of May, and HPEPH will be able to offer more appointments each week. Eligible individuals are encouraged to continue checking Ontario.ca/bookvaccine as new clinic dates are added frequently. Certain individuals in the highest risk priority groups are eligible to register on HPEPH’s standby list, if you are unable to access an appointment.
Catch up 1st Dose Vaccination Opportunity for Health Care Workers
To ensure priority access to vaccination appointments to those who became eligible very early in Phase 1, any health care workers in HPEPH who have not yet booked an appointment for a first dose of vaccine are invited to special ‘catch up’ clinics. Pre-registration is required in order to receive a booking link for these clinics. If you are eligible as a highest, very high, or high priority health care worker, please pre-register online before noon on Friday May 7th. After registering, you will be emailed a link with dates of upcoming ‘catch up’ clinics as well as additional direction to book. At the clinic, you will be required to show proof of employment in the form of an ID badge, pay stub, or T4. If you do not qualify as an eligible health care worker you will be turned away and HPEPH’s standby list will be used to fill your appointment. Please note that appointments continue to be dependant on vaccine availability. If you are able to secure an appointment through the provincial booking system or a local pharmacy before receiving an invitation from HPEPH, please do so.
Upcoming Priority Groups
The province has indicated that provincial booking eligibility may be expanded to Essential Workers who Cannot Work from Home (Group 1) in early May and may expand to Group 2 shortly thereafter. This means that demand for vaccine appointments in HPEPH will exceed available supply. All eligible groups are asked to be patient as we work to administer available vaccines to those who are eligible. HPEPH is investigating opportunities to hold dedicated clinics for highest priority groups to ensure they have access to available appointments. While no such clinics are scheduled at the current time, individuals who qualify as Group 1 or Group 2 Essential Workers who Cannot Work From Home are encouraged to pre-register with HPEPH, to receive information about opportunities to book appointments, when they become eligible. Those who have pre-registered already do not need to do so again. Please note that pre-registering will ensure you receive information about upcoming booking opportunities, and does not book you an appointment.
While You are Waiting for Your Appointment
We will continue our efforts to vaccinate all those who are eligible. In the meantime, please continue to follow all public health precautions such as leaving home only for essential reasons, limiting close contact to those within your household, wearing a face covering when distancing is not possible, and washing your hands frequently. If you experience any symptoms of COVID-19, even mild ones, isolate from others and get tested.
Please visit our website and follow us on social media for updated information on everything related to vaccines, including groups that are currently eligible. Thank-you again to our community for your patience and enthusiasm as we work diligently to offer vaccines to all our valued residents.
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Media contacts
Emily Tubbs, Communications Specialist
etubbs@hpeph.ca
Maureen Hyland, Communications Specialist
mhyland@hpeph.ca
