Ontario aims to get first shots to everyone eligible by June 20

TORONTO — Ontario is aiming to offer first COVID-19 vaccine doses to all eligible residents by June 20, the province said Friday as it laid out more specific plans for the next priority groups in the rollout.

Officials, who made the announcement after Health Canada approved a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, said the rollout could move faster based on supply.

“We’ve had a seismic shift in our vaccination opportunities and the program to roll it out,” said retired general Rick Hillier, the head of the province’s vaccine task force.

He said the recent approval of two more vaccines, expected increases in supply and the extension of the interval between first and second doses will allow the province to “crush those timelines really tightly.”

“Our aim would be to allow the province of Ontario to have a first needle in the arm of every eligible person who wants it by the first day of summer,” Hillier said. “Please be patient a little while longer.”

The province says 113 mass vaccination clinics will start operating this month, with maximum capacity of four million doses per day across public health units, though officials administration will vary based on supply and local considerations.

As part of the second phase of vaccinations, the province plans to start administering shots to seniors 75 and older starting in April.

Based on a timeline prepared before the Johnson & Johnson approval was announced, the province said it was aiming to get first shots to everyone 60 and older by the end of May or early June, if not earlier.

The vast majority of deaths from COVID-19 in Ontario, and across the country, have been among people aged 60 and older.

Doses will also be offered starting in April to people with specific health conditions like transplant recipients, and to residents and staff in congregate care settings including correctional facilities, shelters and developmental facilities.