COVID-19 vaccines will be available for more Kingston age groups starting Monday

More people in the Kingston region will have access to COVID-19 vaccinations starting Monday.

Friday, Doug Ford announced that people 75 and older can start booking their vaccines through the province’s booking systems next week. He also said a vaccine pilot program currently run at pharmacies in Kingston, Toronto and Windsor-Essex will expand their age groups from 60 to 64 to anyone over the age of 60.

Thursday, Dr. Kieran Moore, medical officer of health for the region, said 35,000 people in the region had been vaccinated so far.

The health unit added that just over half of the region’s residents over 80, and just over half of those who fall within the 60 to 64 age group, have received their first doses of the vaccine.

But about 3,000 doses of the 9,000 vaccines administered at local pharmacies have been scooped up by people from outside the region, Moore said.

Now that anyone above the age of 60 can go to local pharmacies to receive an AstraZeneca vaccine, the health unit is hoping to get as many vaccines into arms of eligible people as quickly as possible.

Moore said that all 47 participating pharmacies in the region received 500 doses of the vaccine and that there are several with supply still available.

2:20 Some Kingston area pharmacies start administering covid vaccine

The health unit is also reminding people not to contact KFL&A Public Health’s main line to inquire about booking appointments or vaccine information or to check eligibility requirements. Phones lines at the health unit are extremely busy and these matters cannot be dealt with on the local level.