The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is pleased to announce that, effective April 30, 2021, individuals who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine but who have not yet been able to book an appointment, can register online to stand by.

COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the EOHU region are operating efficiently and ethically to ensure that vaccine wastage is minimized. All vaccine doses at each site are planned for and allocated. Should doses remain at the end of a clinic due to missed or empty appointments, eligible individuals on the standby list could be called in to receive the extra doses to avoid vaccine wastage at local clinics.

Who is Eligible to Register for the Standby List

The EOHU invites eligible individuals to register for the COVID-19 standby list at www.EOHU.ca/standby for upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Each week, registration for the standby list will open to individuals who:

• currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine;

Continue Attempting to Book an Appointment

The standby list is not a booking tool and should not be relied upon to schedule an appointment. Individuals on the standby list are not guaranteed to be called in to receive a vaccine. They will only be called if there are unused doses available at the end of a clinic. The EOHU encourages these individuals to continue to attempt to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial booking system or another vaccination partner if accessible (e.g. pharmacy, participating primary care provider, or other).

Ongoing Collaboration

The EOHU appreciates that there is keen interest in receiving the vaccine. We ask the public to please help us keep the online tools and phone lines available for those who are eligible to book an appointment. Cooperation from the public will go a long way to help ensure local vaccination clinics can operate efficiently and effectively.

It remains extremely important to continue following public health precautions – even if you have received the vaccine – until a large majority of residents in our region have been vaccinated.

For the latest updates about COVID-19 vaccines, including which population groups are eligible to receive it and how to access it, please regularly visit the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s website at www.EOHU.ca/vaccines.