text: An Ontario City Is Already Completely Booked Up For Booster Dose Appointments - Narcity
  An Ontario City Is Already Completely Booked Up For Booster Dose Appointments
  Other regions also have limited appointments.
  December 20, 2021, 01:17 PM
  As of Monday morning, all Ontarians 18 years and older could start scheduling their booster dose appointments, and one Ontario city says it's already fully booked up.
  Just 14 minutes after 8 a.m., when bookings were open for business, Ottawa Public Health announced that third dose appointments at city clinics had already been filled.
  "We apologize for the inconvenience & are working hard to add more capacity and availability," the health unit tweeted and added that eligible Ottawans could still look for appointments through participating pharmacies. Pharmacies in Ontario could start giving third COVID-19 doses on December 17, according to the provincial government.
  Meanwhile, other regions have limited who can book their appointments on Monday to make way for more vulnerable populations.
  Booster doses will continue to expand to age 18+ in York Region once we are able to meet the age 50+ population demand. 3/3
  — York Region (@York Region) 1639837993
  Melissa Pinto, corporate communications advisor for the Regional Municipality of York, told Narcity that they are prioritizing residents who are 50 years or older, are immunocompromised or have not yet received their first or second dose, since these groups are more likely to get severely ill or get sent to the hospital if they contract COVID-19.
  "Booster doses will continue to expand to age 18+ in York Region once York Region Public Health is able to meet the age 50+ population demand as they are most vulnerable," Pinto said.
  Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit also announced it won't be accepting any walk-in appointments for anyone between the ages of 18 and 49 due to the "overwhelming demand" for booster doses at this time.
  According to Alexandra Hilkene, a spokesperson for Ontario's minister of health, over 125,000 booster dose appointments were scheduled through Ontario's booking system within the first two hours of it being open to the public.
  "As we continue to increase our daily capacity, individual public health units are actively working to add appointments to the booking system on an ongoing basis. Public health units will continue to keep the public informed as more appointments go live on the provincial booking system," she stated.
  "We also encourage Ontarians to check regularly for availability through other channels such as pharmacies, primary care settings, and walk-in clinics."
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  A York Clinic Reportedly Gave Multiple People 6 Doses' Worth Of A COVID-19 Vaccine
  Some residents reported side effects.
  A clinic in York Region gave multiple people undiluted COVID-19 doses on January 8, and those impacted are complaining about side effects.
  York Region Public Health confirmed to Narcity that due to an "administration error" at Schomberg Medical Centre, several people received "undiluted doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine," although they would not disclose how many people were given the incorrect dosages.
  An unidentified woman told CTV News Toronto that she and her husband received their booster shots at Schomberg Medical Centre on January 8 but things didn't go as planned. She said they were contacted a few hours later by a receptionist at the clinic and were informed that they were given an incorrect dosage.
  The woman says the receptionist told her that they had received an entire undiluted vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is equivalent to six regular doses, and that over 20 people had received an undiluted dose that day.
  They were "kind of freaked out" and began feeling sick that night, she said.
  "The whole next couple of days we had a really bad fever, chills, and body aches. We were knocked out for a couple of days."
  The woman says she has worries about the long-term effects the incorrect dose may have. She also spoke to her family doctor, who had never heard of this happening before but told her to look out for any unusual symptoms over the coming months.
  Another unidentified individual told CTV News that her 75-year-old father received the incorrect dosage and was "very lethargic and confused" afterward. The woman says she filed a complaint to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
  "You know, you make a mistake, you make a mistake, but to do it multiple times? This is people's health involved," she said.
  A CPSO spokesperson told Narcity they are aware "of media reports about the allegations" but that "under the Regulated Health Professions Act, the College is prohibited from confirming the existence of an investigation."
  Narcity reached out to Schomberg Medical Centre for comment, and they deferred comment to York Region Public Health, who clarified that while the clinic in question is not run by them, they are aware of the incident.
  "We know this type of incident can cause anxiety for many people; rest assured COVID-19 vaccines are safe and administration errors are extremely rare," said York Region Public Health.
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  The Head Of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Table Says Fully Vaccinated Should Mean 3 Doses
  Dr. Peter Jüni says it's the "next logical thing to do."
  Although there are no official plans to change the definition of fully vaccinated in Ontario, the head of the province's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table has made a suggestion.
  In an interview with CBC News posted on Saturday, January 22, Dr. Peter Jüni called on the provincial government to expand the term "fully vaccinated" to mean someone who has received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccination, rather than two.
  "Two doses of the vaccine continued to protect quite well against hospital and ICU admissions, but there's absolutely no relevant protection against infection," he said.
  According to Dr. Jüni, changing the definition of fully vaccinated is "the next logical thing to do now with Omicron being dominant."
  The federal government has weighed in on this too, with a spokesperson from PHAC sharing with Narcity on December 20 that "at this time, Canada's definition of a fully vaccinated person has not changed," but that it could in the future.
  It added that the government "may provide further recommendations on the definition of a fully vaccinated person, if required."
  Dr. Jüni's comments come in the wake of Premier Doug Ford's announcement on the loosening of restrictions on Ontario at the end of January.
  Starting on January 31, indoor dining will be allowed again at restaurants, bars and other food or drink places, with a 50% capacity limit, after being closed for most of the month due to concerns about the Omicron variant.
  "The evidence tells us that the measures we put in place to blunt transmission of Omicron are working," Ford said in the announcement.
  The province moved back into a modified version of Step Two on January 5, which saw the shutdown of indoor dining, cinemas, gyms and many other indoor spaces.
  In the coming months, Ontario is planning to gradually ease public health measures, which will include eventually getting rid of capacity limits where proof of vaccination is already required.