Montreal and Laval now open to ages 75 and over

Quebec's vaccine booking system is now allowing the general population ages 75 and over in Montreal and Laval to sign up to get their COVID -19 vaccine.

The government has prioritized the metropolis as it is the hardest hit by the pandemic, both in raw numbers and per capita.

Other regions have also dropped their minimum age requirements, with the Côte-nord region open to all 70 and over, and the Abitibi-témiscamingue, Bas-st-laurent and Capitale-nationale regions at 80 years old. Remaining regions, including the Montérégie, Laurentides and Lanaudière regions, still only allow appointments for those 85 and older.

The Montreal health region, which includes the agglomeration of Montreal, previously reduced its minimum age to 80 last week.

Vaccine appointments can be booked at clicsante.ca or by calling 1-877-644-4545.

On Saturday, Premier François Legault said he's optimistic the province is on its way to “winning the battle of our lives.”

“It's been a long time since I've felt so optimistic,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. “The mindset that led me to return to politics by creating the CAQ 10 years ago is to help Quebec win. And in this long battle against the virus, to vaccinate is precisely to win against the pandemic.”

“We start with people 85 and over and we will quickly vaccinate those 70 and over, then the entire adult population.”