Ontario lowers minimum age for vaccines in 10 more regions

Public education needed for face masks Epidemiologist Dr. Colin Furness says face mask mandates without proper public messaging social violence and confusion could ensue.

Toronto — Ontario is lowering the minimum age for COVID-19 vaccines in 10 more public health units.

As of Monday morning, people born in 1951 and earlier can use the provincial system to book their shots in the regions, which include Hamilton, Grey Bruce, Peel and Ottawa.

Previously, the minimum age in most regions was 75.

The province says people aged 70 and older will also be able to use the provincial system to make a vaccination appointment in York Region.

York had already begun vaccinating people in that age group, but they had only been able to book their shots through the regional system.

Torontonians aged 70 and older were able to start booking their vaccines on Saturday.

The other public health units where residents born in 1951 and earlier can book their vaccines are Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health; Lambton Public Health; Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit; Niagara Region Public Health; Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit; and Timiskaming Health Unit.

Other regions, such as Halton, have also lowered the minimum age to 70 using their own booking systems.

The expansion comes as the province reported 2,448 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and 10 more deaths attributed to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 780 new cases in Toronto.

She says there are also 356 new cases in Peel Region, 278 in York Region, 278 in York Region, 219 in Durham Region and 150 in Ottawa.

More than 50,200 tests were completed since Saturday's update.

There are 917 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario, although the province says more than 10 per cent of hospitals have not reported their numbers over the weekend.

Ontario reports that 64,950 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since the last daily update. A total of 1,981,282 vaccines have been given in the province so far.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2021.