COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Ottawa were completely booked up for appointments on the first day of booster shot eligibility for those aged 50 and older, leading Ottawa Public Health to add a boost of its own to the crop of available slots.
OPH tweeted Monday shortly after 11 a.m. that all community clinics were booked up for appointments for ages 12 and older until Jan. 2, 2022.
The health unit said it was trying to open up more availability in the meantime.
OPH then said in a tweet around 6:20 p.m. that it had added an extra 5,200 appointments to its system to accommodate the high demand. But those, too, were snapped up before 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
The health unit then followed up with more than 7,000 vaccination slots additional before the end of the day, thanking hospital partner in the region for help to make it happen.
Some appointments might also be available for shots through the pharmacy system and through family physicians.
Ottawa community clinics continue to offer appointments for those aged five to 11 to get their initial doses.
Ontario opened up registration for those aged 50 and older to get third doses of the vaccine on Monday morning at 8 a.m.
Users across the province trying to arrange third doses reported issues with Ontario’s booking portal in the initial hours appointments were available.
As of Monday, a total of 82,828 booster shots have been administered in Ottawa.
More than half of those shots have gone to residents aged 70 and older.
Just under half — 48 per cent — of kids aged five to 11 in Ottawa have gotten initial doses of the vaccine.
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