What you need to know about York Region's online COVID-19 vaccine registration system
Ontario is set to launch online registration for the COVID-19 vaccine on March 15 for those 80-years and older, but York Region is ahead of the curve as their own system opened for bookings on Monday.
At 8 am on March 1, York Region residents born in 1941 or earlier were able to book an appointment for their COVID-19 vaccination online at one of five clinics in the region.
The clinics include Cornell Community Centre, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Georgina Ice Palace, Ray Twinney Complex, and Richmond Green Sports Centre.
“This is great news for many of our most vulnerable residents and another step forward in bringing an end to the pandemic through vaccination,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson in a statement. “The health and well-being of our residents continues to remain a priority, and we thank public, private and health-care partners for their major role in helping to protect some of our most vulnerable residents.”
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York Region said that residents 80 years of age and older who are not able or comfortable booking an online appointment are encouraged to seek help from a support person, such as a caregiver, family member or friend, who can help book an appointment on their behalf.
It’s important to note that one can only get a vaccine by appointment only, meaning no walk-in appointments are available.
A health card is not required to book an appointment, but proof of age and residence will be needed on the day you go to receive your vaccine.
And, only one appointment can be booked at a time.
According to the region, all the appointments were booked within the first 90 minutes of when registration opened — around 20,000 appointments.
“Resumption of bookings will occur as additional vaccine doses are made available or if bookings open up due to additional shipments, no-shows or ineligible individuals,” the release said.
There are 45,000 residents in York age 80 and older, which does not include long-term care or congregate care settings.
York also said that the site didn’t crash when people booked appointments Monday morning, signalling “great news” for the region.