Vaccine appointments now available for 18+

REGIONAL — The provincial government announced Monday that effective Tuesday, May 18, anyone in Ontario 18 years or older can now book their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

You must have turned 18 to qualify for the Moderna shot, but can receive Pfizer if you are turning 18 during this calendar year.

Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is the only approved vaccine for those under 18 years of age.

The news comes a week earlier than expected, as previous announcements pointed to those 18-plus being eligible starting next week. This would indicate that vaccine rollout in the province is well ahead of schedule.

In addition to Monday’s announcement, the province has also announced that youth aged 12-17 will be eligible to book a vaccine on the provincial booking system beginning next week.

As of last week, over 7.2 million doses had been administered to Ontarians. More than 55 per cent of Ontario’s population over 18 have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

Locally, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reports that 46.4 per cent of the population have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

The age groups between 18 and 39 years have lagged in comparison to the older age groups. Portals for booking are open at Ontario.ca, wevax.ca and getyourshotck.ca.