Toronto has launched its own website and hotline for booking COVID-19 vaccines as it waits for a provincial system to make its debut.
The website says appointments are only available at this time to priority groups identified by the province.
Those include people aged 80 or older, some health-care workers and Indigenous adults.
Toronto Coun. Joe Cressy, who chairs the city’s board of health, says the booking system is an interim measure in place until the province’s centralized online registration system is launched.
He says it is “not an ideal situation” but calls it a “necessary step” until the provincial system arrives, which is scheduled to be next week.
The city says vaccines are being administered to those with confirmed appointments at a number of Toronto hospitals and community health-care centres, including the University Health Network, and the Michael Garron and Humber River hospitals.
It says those institutions are working Monday to operate roughly 17 vaccination clinics, including mobile teams.