Those 80+ can now request an earlier 2nd COVID-19 vaccine appointment with Waterloo Region

Those who are over the age of 79 can now request an earlier appointment for a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to Waterloo Region.

It says it is following the province’s move to shorten the time frame between first and second doses for those who are aged 80 and above.

The region says it is still working to achieve its vaccine distribution task force’s goal of 75 per cent vaccination rate in all age groups so it will look for a balance between getting first doses in arms quickly and following the province’s schedule.

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It may still be tough to find that balance as the region is still only receiving about 5,000 doses a day from the province to do so.

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At the moment, only the age groups over the age of 60 have reached the goal of 75 per cent.

That benchmark would, in theory, achieve herd immunity for the region.

The region is warning that it could take between two and four weeks to contact those over the age of 80 for an earlier dose appointment.