All open appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations have been snapped up at Ottawa community clinics as of Tuesday morning after the province moved to let anyone aged 18 and older book their first shot.
“Eligibility has outpaced supply, & we simply do not have enough vaccines to keep up with demand,” Ottawa Public Health said on Twitter, roughly two and a half hours after the provincial booking system opened to the 18-plus crowd.
The City of Ottawa told Global News in a statement Monday evening that it knew there was “limited availability” locally in Ontario’s booking system ahead of the planned eligibility expansion. The city requested to add more appointments to the system to accommodate the demand, it said.
The city later said in a general release to the public Monday night that “if appointments fill up quickly Tuesday morning, more appointments will become available shortly.”
OPH attempted to reassure residents on Twitter that more appointments will be added as future supply of vaccine doses is confirmed.
“More appointments will become available as the city receives more vaccines from the province,” the city confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
The local health unit said the “silver lining” within the fleeting supply of appointments is that demand for vaccinations remains strong in Ottawa.
OPH and the city both reiterated that everyone who wants a vaccine will get one.
Some local pharmacy sites, which book separately from the centralized provincial system, could still have appointments available, depending on supply.
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