Ontario opens up booster shots to those 18 and up starting Monday, announces new capacity limits

Ontario announced Wednesday that it's accelerating its COVID-19 booster shot rollout over fears around the Omicron variant, with everyone 18 or older eligible to book their third vaccine dose Monday.

The province also said that it is shortening the interval required to wait before getting a booster to three months after a second dose, and is launching a holiday testing blitz with free rapid antigen tests available at pop-up sites, including malls and libraries, as well as some LCBO stores.  

"Nothing matters more than getting these third shots into arms," said Ford at a news conference on Wednesday. The premier also said that the province is working to open up new clinics and vaccination sites. 

Starting today, Wednesday, anyone 50 or over who has already booked their third dose at the prescribed six-month interval can now re-book their appointment for three months after their second dose. 

Capacity limits are also being tightened for venues that would normally hold 1000 people or more. 

Those venues include entertainment facilities, meeting and event spaces, sports venues, theatres, museums, galleries, casinos, bingo halls as well as other similar attractions.

The restrictions come into force Monday at 12:01 a.m.

"We will meet this new enemy with full force, because right now the best defence is a lightning-fast offence," said Ford. 

The booster expansion was announced on the same day Ontario reported 1,808 new cases of COVID-19 — the highest daily number seen in the province since late May. 

Meanwhile, preparations for an accelerated COVID-19 booster shot roll out are already underway in some parts of Ontario.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said the city's Emergency Operations Centre was escalating its efforts to focus on booster vaccinations amid community spread of the variant.

"We are working hand in hand to rapidly increase the capacity for first, second and third doses for all eligible residents in Ottawa," Watson wrote on Twitter.

Public health staff in the city had been asked to "pause" routine work to help with immunizations in light of the infectious variant threat, according to Watson's post. Several other public health units are doing the same.

The president of a professional group representing family doctors in the province also called on members to defer non-urgent procedures so they can join the immunization effort.