All adults in Ontario are eligible to book a second dose on Monday

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All adults living in Ontario will be able to book their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday, June 28.

Beginning at 8 am on Monday, anyone who received their first mRNA vaccine will be eligible to book an appointment for a second dose through the province’s online system.

More than 76% of adults in the province have already received their first shot, and 30% are fully vaccinated. The province estimates that 1.5 million Ontarians will be able to get their second doses ahead of schedule when the booking system opens to them next week.

“Ontario’s vaccine rollout continues to pick up speed, allowing us to provide more second doses ahead of schedule while supporting our communities most at risk,” Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, said in a press release.

“All vaccines provide strong protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, and I encourage everyone to book your second dose appointment as soon as possible.”

The Delta variant is particularly concerning to health experts, as it’s highly transmissible and possibly more dangerous than other strains of the virus — especially for those who are unvaccinated.

In Toronto, a COVID-19 outbreak at Toronto Western Hospital was connected to the Delta variant this week and affected people had been vaccinated with one and two doses of the vaccine.

“The good news is that the cases so far are mild – the bad news is that the people have been infected even when vaccinated,” a hospital official said in a statement.

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Despite concerns over the variant, Ontario continues to see a decline in overall new cases of COVID-19. Friday marked the fifth day in a row that fewer than 300 new cases have been discovered in the province. Ontario is scheduled to move into Step 2 of its reopening on June 30.

To date, Ontario has seen 543,571 COVID-19 cases and 9,101 deaths.