June 01, 2021

A general update from Grey Bruce Public Health on booking your COVID-19 vaccine appointment

South Grey News | Booking your vaccine appointment update

In response to the Provincial direction to allow all individuals 80+ to book their second dose early, and those 12 and older eligible to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Grey Bruce Health Unit will now primarily use the Provincial Booking System for most first vaccine appointments.

To review the provincial announcements in detail, please visit:

The Local Booking system will continue to be used for focused, specialized clinics as well as some second dose clinics. These focused clinics include (but are not limited to):

Clinics for Immunocompromised clients and their essential caregivers (1st and 2nd dose for those eligible to receive their second dose)
Clinics for Pregnant individuals (1st and second dose when eligible for shortened interval)
Focused Workplace Clinics
- Healthcare Workers
- Education and Childcare
- First Responders
- Other High Risk Groups
Second Dose Clinics for those eligible for the shortened interval
- High Risk Healthcare workers

Second Doses

In addition, the province announced on May 28, that people over the age of 80 will be eligible to book their second dose of vaccine as of Monday, May 31st, through the provincial booking system. This means that those over 80+ years of age can now get their second dose, prior to the 16-week interval originally in place.

If you booked your first appointment using the Provincial Booking systems, you can review your confirmation email from the Province and log in to the Provincial website using your health card and personal information on or after May 31, 2021 and attempt to book in to an earlier clinic. If you do not have access to email, you can call the provincial booking line at 1-888-999-6488 for assistance.
If you are 80+ and booked your first appointment using the local booking system, you are to book your second dose appointment as of Monday through the provincial booking system. You can also call the provincial booking telephone line to manage this change as well.
For those over the age of 80 that received their vaccine through their Primary Care Provider, your second dose clinics are already booked in June and July. Your primary care provider will be in touch to confirm the date and time of your appointment. We do not recommend cancelling these appointments.
The province provided this proposed (not final or guaranteed) timeline for further age group’s eligibility to book their second dose:
Week of May 31: individuals aged 80+
Week of June 14: individuals aged 70+
Week of June 28: individuals who received their first dose between the week of March 8 to April 18, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals with the highest-risk health conditions and special education workers.
Week of July 19: individuals who received their first dose between the week of April 19 to May 9, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals aged 50 and over, as well as individuals with high-risk health conditions.
Week of August 2: individuals who received their first dose between the week of May 10 to May 30, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals who cannot work from home and individuals who have at-risk health conditions.
Week of August 9 to 16: individuals aged 12 to 25
Week of August 9: individuals who received their first dose from the week of May 31 onwards on a “first-in, first out” basis, respecting the recommended intervals.

Youth and Second Doses

The provincial announcement on May 28th also identified that those ages 12-25 are eligible to book a shortened interval of 56 days, as of May 31, 2021. If you are in this age group, and have already received your first dose of the vaccine, you can review your confirmation email from the Province and log in to the Provincial website using your health card and personal information on or after May 31, 2021. If you do not have access to email, you can call the provincial booking line at 1-888-999-6488 for assistance. You are then able to change your 2nd dose appointment to match the 56 day timeframe. You must do this, or else your automatically booked second appointment will remain at the 16 week interval.

The goal of this shortened interval for this age group is to ensure they will have both vaccines prior to the start of school, college and University.

For those that received their vaccine through the local booking system, and based on the timelines listed above, you will also be able to book your second dose through the provincial system starting Monday, May 31. Do not try to book your second dose prior to the timelines above.

Please note: There may not be any available appointments immediately. More clinics will be added each week. As we receive more vaccine, more clinics will be added.

More Pharmacies are providing the vaccine as well. They offer the vaccine with the same intervals. An interactive map is available on the Grey Bruce Health Unit website at:

Find a Clinic (publichealthgreybruce.on.ca)

For Information on Vaccines in Grey and Bruce, please visit:

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