TORONTO — As the province moves to Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen, Ontario is accelerating second dose eligibility to all children and youth aged 12 to 17 to provide them with a strong level of protection against COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and support a safe return to school in September.

Starting on Monday, July 5, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., youth aged 12 to 17 across the province will be eligible to book an accelerated second dose appointment to receive the Pfizer vaccine through the provincial booking system, directly through public health units that use their own booking system, and through participating pharmacies.

“As the province enters Step Two of our Roadmap, all eligible Ontarians have the opportunity for a two-dose summer,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Vaccines are the best defence against COVID-19 and variants, and I encourage everyone to get their first and second shots as soon as possible.”

Ontario’s vaccine rollout has been widely successful, surpassing targets and continuing to expand eligibility ahead of schedule. During the week of June 21, 2021, the province administered more than one million doses in four days. Notably, 26,771 doses were administered in a single day at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena Clinic, setting a North American record. To date, the province’s public health units, mass vaccination clinics, hospital sites, pharmacies and primary care providers have administered over 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 77 per cent of adult Ontarians having received their first dose and more than 42 per cent fully immunized.

To continue to protect against the Delta variant the province continues to provide targeted supports to Delta hot spots. Since last week, provincially supported mobile teams have begun returning to community and workplace sites to support second dose clinics in Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Toronto, Peel and York region hot spots. Two pop-up teams and additional vaccination staff are also helping to accelerate first and second doses in priority communities in Waterloo Region. A total of 230,000 additional doses were provided to Delta hot spots over the past weeks to accelerate vaccinations and further protect these communities.

“Expanding the eligibility for accelerated second doses to include youth aged 12 to 17 is another positive step in the rollout of vaccines across Ontario,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “With the continued support of our public health partners, we are on track to significantly increase the number of Ontarians who will be fully immunized this summer, helping to protect themselves and their community.”