Ontario is extending COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all residents age 40 and up on Thursday.

Starting May 13, people turning 40 in 2021 can sign up for a vaccine appointment through the province’s booking system, which includes Toronto’s City-run mass immunization clinics.

Health officials announced in late April how the province planned to extend vaccine eligibility to more people, and this week it began opening appointments to several new groups.

Government of Ontario

Who can book a vaccine?

Below is a list of people currently eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine through the province’s booking system:

• Adults age 40 and older.
• Frontline workers who cannot work from home (Groups one and two).
• People with “at-risk” health conditions.
• People age 18 and older with “high risk” health conditions.
• People age 18 and older with “highest-risk” health conditions.
• People age 18 and older who live in COVID-19 hot spot postal codes.
• People who are pregnant.
• First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations.
• Elementary and secondary education workers.
• Child care workers in licensed child care settings.

Government of Ontario

All adults over the age of 18 should be eligible for a vaccine by the end of May.

Toronto has also opened up eligibility to people age 16 and older with “highest risk,” high risk” and “at-risk” health conditions, however, these groups cannot currently use the provincial booking system.

Information on how to get an appointment for people in these groups will be released soon, according to the City. Additionally, people who are 16 or 17 years of age must provide a letter from their doctor with permission to be vaccinated.

Provincial health officials have also said they are aiming to start vaccinating adolescents age 12 to 17 against COVID-19 in June but have yet to release any further details.

• See also:
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  • COVID-19 outbreak rips through Hamilton apartment building
  • 75% of Canadians need one vaccine dose to have more normal summer: Trudeau

How to book your COVID-19 vaccine?

Residents looking to book online must have a green photo health card (OHIP)and an email address. If you have it, you can book through the province’s online booking system.

People without a green photo health card will need to call 1‑833‑943‑3900 to book an appointment. Those who do not have an OHIP card should call their local health unit. In Toronto, the number is 416-338-7600. 

Additionally, pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinics continue to operate in hotspot areas and offer walk-in appointments.

The City of Toronto reached a milestone this past weekend when officials announced that 50% of adults over the age of 18 had received the first dose of a vaccine.

As of May 13, Toronto has administered more than 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, while nearly 6.5 million doses have been administered in all of Ontario.