Ottawa COVID-19 vaccine appointments for people 12 and older booked until January

Ottawa Public Health says COVID-19 vaccine appointments are fully booked until January, hours after residents 50 and older became eligible to book third doses.

"All COVID-19 vaccine appointments for the 12+ population are currently booked until January 2," the health unit tweeted Monday morning. "We are working to open more appointments and will update you as we know more."

That news came after many Ottawa residents said they experienced problems when logging on to the provincial booking system to book booster shots. Ontario officials said a technical issue is to blame.

The provincial vaccine booking platform opened at 8 a.m. for residents 50 and older who received their second dose at least six months ago. That's about 3.4 million people provincewide.

But many social media users in Ottawa and across the province reported a number of problems and said they were unable to book appointments.