More First and Second Dose Appointments for COVID-19 Vaccine Opening Up Locally
Written by Comms Team, June 7, 2021
Public Health Recommends Those Who Received Pfizer or Moderna to Book the Same Vaccine for Second Dose
Peterborough Public Health is advising eligible residents who wish to book a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine that there are many appointments currently available at local mass immunization clinics and pharmacies and more to open soon.
COVID-19 vaccination appointments in June are available for anyone aged 12 years and up (Pfizer vaccine only for those aged 12-17), and residents aged 70+ can start booking second dose appointments starting today at 8 a.m. (June 7).
“We are very excited to be able to offer a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to local adults 70+ sooner than expected,” said Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. “Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will provide the best protection against the COVID-19 virus. This is especially important as more cases of variants of concern are circulating in Ontario.”
On May 28, the province announced the plan to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccine second dose interval for all residents. The provincial goal is to have the majority of Ontario residents fully-vaccinated by the end of summer.
The province will open the accelerated second-dose booking in phases. Starting June 7 at 8:00 a.m., second-dose booking will open for all residents over the age of 70 as well as residents who received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before April 18. This accelerated booking will allow these residents to rebook their second dose appointment for a date that is earlier than 16 weeks from their first dose appointment.
Booking or rebooking a second dose COVID-19 vaccine appointment can be done by:
- Calling the provincial vaccine appointment booking call centre at 1-833-943-3900 OR
- Booking online at a mass immunization clinic or local participating pharmacy clinic at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ OR
- Booking into a pharmacy clinic. Local participating pharmacies receive weekly shipments of either Moderna or Pfizer and can administer either first or second doses. A list of participating pharmacy clinics can be found
While the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has released a statement regarding the safety and efficacy of mixing of COVID-19 vaccines, public health is recommending that residents who received Pfizer or Moderna book the same vaccine for their second dose. However, if the same mRNA vaccine is not readily available, another mRNA vaccine can be offered instead to complete the vaccine series. Peterborough Public Health awaits provincial guidance to support this and will provide more details as they become available.
Those who received AstraZeneca as their first dose and would like a second dose of an mRNA vaccine can also book their appointment through the provincial booking system. The Ministry of Health has developed this information sheet for those who received a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, which is also available on the PPH website. Those who want a second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to obtain it through their pharmacy or primary care practitioner. Local patients are advised to visit the website of their primary care provider for details about how to book into local AstraZeneca clinics.
Those patients who received a first dose of AstraZeneca but who would like a second dose of an mRNA vaccine instead can now book their appointment through the provincial booking system. Again, we also have information on our PPH website to guide you if you have questions.
For full details on first and second dose eligibility, visit the Peterborough vaccine eligibility guidance document at peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Brittany Cadence
Communications Manager
705-743-1000, ext. 391