COVID-19: 2nd dose eligibility expands again in Ontario

TORONTO — More Ontarians will be able to book an accelerated second dose of COVID-19 vaccine starting today.

Those who received a first jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can now book their second shot after eight weeks.

The Ontario government had previously set a minimum wait time of 12 weeks for people who took a first dose of AstraZeneca.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

They can choose whether to get a second dose of AstraZeneca, or switch to an mRNA vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.

People who live in regions where the Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading and who received their first shot on or before May 9 can also now make an appointment for their second dose.

The strategy is focused on Toronto, Peel, Halton, Porcupine, Waterloo, York and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph.

The government is also encouraging unvaccinated residents in those areas to get a shot.