COVID-19: How do you get a vaccine booster shot in Guelph?

With Ontario health officials expanding eligibility for those who can get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, many Guelph residents may be wondering how they go about accessing the extra dose.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health is one of a few jurisdictions in Ontario that uses its own booking system.

People aged 70 and older are now eligible, along with health-care workers and essential caregivers in congregate settings, people who received a full round of vaccination of a viral vector vaccine such as two doses of AstraZeneca, and First Nations people and their non-Indigenous household members.

Most of these groups have to wait a minimum of six months following the second dose to be eligible for a booster, except for those living in long-term care homes or retirement homes – they only have to wait five months.

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WDG Public Health has laid instructions for how each group can access their booster dose.

For residents in long-term care homes or retirement homes, booster doses will be offered through the residence, either within the home or through a mobile clinic. They will be contacted directly.

Health-care workers will also be contacted directly as booster shots are being arranged through their employer.

Public health said it has already begun to call residents aged 70 or older to book an appointment as they become eligible. This group can also book an appointment online so long as they meet the interval requirement.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis adults, including non-Indigenous household members, can also book online, as can recipients who received a full round of vaccination of a viral vector vaccine such AstraZeneca.

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Third doses have already been offered to the immunocompromised populations such as those receiving chemotherapy and organ transplant recipients. These individuals should contact their health-care provider for more information and a referral.

As of Thursday, about 5,000 third doses have been administered in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph.

More information on booster doses can be found on public health’s website.