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Provinces shif vaccination efforts to teens and younger adults as rollout advances

May 23, 2021 | 12:37 PM

A day after Canada officially reported partially immunizing 50 per cent of residents against COVID-19, efforts are shifting to vaccinate younger age groups.

Ontario today became the latest province to open vaccine appointments to kids 12 and over through the province’s booking system.

Those wanting to book can do so through the provincial online portal or call centre, as well as through pharmacies offering the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

In Quebec, there were long lineups outside a walk-in vaccine centre in Montreal that opened its doors to the 12 to 17 age group over the weekend.

The province will formally open its booking system to youth 12 and up on Tuesday, but a spokesman for the local health authority said officials at the clinic west of downtown decided not to turn away teens that showed up for walk-ins.

Canada’s chief public health officer wrote on Twitter today that more than 2.5 million Canadians received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine between May 9 and May 15.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2021

The Canadian Press