The Eastern Ontario Heath Unit (EOHU) is pleased to inform the public that COVID-19 vaccines will soon be available to adults 80 years of age and older. We are working with health care providers, community, and municipal partners to inform individuals as well as their family members who can support them in accessing the vaccine.

The EOHU is currently scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments by invitation only for staff and essential caregivers of long-term care and retirement homes, and health care workers of the highest and very high priority level in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidance on health care worker prioritization.

This will soon be extended to:

If you have a family member or provide care to someone who falls within one of the groups listed above, please encourage them to get vaccinated. Vaccines are by APPOINTMENT ONLY and may be made by an individual or their caregiver; walk-in appointments are not available.

We expect that by mid-March, eligible individuals will be able to make an appointment using our online tool. We will be updating our website as we have more information to share about scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments for eligible individuals.

If you, or the individual you are booking for, do not fall within one of the eligible groups, please do NOT try to schedule an appointment. We must keep the online tool and phone lines available for those who are eligible to book an appointment. We are requesting everyone’s collaboration and continued patience as we undertake this enormous vaccination effort.

Phase One of the EOHU vaccine roll-out plan is well underway. All long-term care residents have received their two doses of the vaccine and residents of retirement homes have all received their first dose. Staff and essential caregivers of long-term care and retirement homes, and health care workers of the highest and very high priority level are currently being administered their first dose. Vaccine supply continues to impact both the local and provincial vaccine roll out. As a result, we continue to adjust our local plans to align with Ministry-identified priority populations.

We are pleased that access to COVID-19 vaccines is increasing and we are committed to vaccinating our community as quickly as possible.

For the latest updates about which population groups are eligible to receive the vaccine and how to access it, please regularly visit the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s website at www.EOHU.ca/vaccines.