Media Release

Appointments available for booking beginning Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 8:30 a.m.  

Newmarket – The Regional Municipality of York is opening a new mass vaccination clinic at the Newmarket Community Centre located at 200 Doug Duncan Drive in the Town of Newmarket and will release approximately 14,600 appointments for COVID-19 vaccination across all clinics, including this new location, for the following priority groups:

  • Booster doses for eligible individuals age 50+ (born 1971 or earlier) at least three months (84 days) after receipt of a second dose
  • First and second-dose vaccinations for all eligible individuals five years of age and older

Eligible individuals can book an appointment beginning Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 8:30 a.m., with appointments beginning as early as Thursday, January 6, 2022.

Appointments can be booked at york.ca/COVID19Vaccine or by calling Access York at 1-877-464-9675; interpretation services are available. Given the expected high volume of web activity and telephone support, wait times may be longer than usual and service disruptions on york.ca may occur.

York Region is prioritizing booster doses for individuals age 50+ as this age group is more vulnerable to serious illness related to COVID-19 and more likely to be admitted to hospital. Protecting the currently strained acute care capacity is a priority during this Omicron surge phase of the pandemic.

With schools moving to virtual learning until at least Monday, January 17, 2022, it is never been more important for children five to 11 years of age to get vaccinated. Over half of York Region children age five to 11 are now vaccinated as well as almost 90% of those age 12 to 17. Vaccination is the number one thing families can do to contribute to a safe and sustained return to school. Children age five and up can book an appointment or simply walk-in to any York Region clinic for a first or second dose.

Individuals 18 to 49 years of age eligible to receive a third dose are encouraged to check availability through pharmacies, select Primary Care offices and the Provincial Booking System, including two clinics in York Region – Cornell Community Centre in the City of Markham and Ray Twinney Recreation Complex in the Town of Newmarket.

York Region expects to expand eligibility for booster doses to include those 18 to 49 years of age beginning January 10, 2022. Additional details and booking times will be shared, once available.

The opening of a mass vaccination clinic at the Newmarket Community Centre will replace the small COVID-19 vaccination clinic located in the York Region Administrative Centre Great Hall and allow for greater capacity to support increased vaccination efforts to eligible individuals.

Further, as of Sunday, January 2, 2022, hours of operations have expanded to 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, at the following mass vaccination clinics:

  • Aaniin Community Centre, City of Markham
  • Richmond Green Sports Centre, City of Richmond Hill
  • Newmarket Community Centre, Town of Newmarket
  • Maple Community Centre, City of Vaughan
  • Georgina Ice Palace, Town of Georgina – open 7 days a week effective Sunday, January 9, 2022 

All individuals 30 years of age and older will be provided a Moderna vaccine at all York Region Public Health mass vaccination clinics. The Richmond Green Sports Centre and Aaniin Community Centre mass vaccination clinics continue to offer Moderna only to residents, except for individuals five to 11 years of age, who will continue to receive the paediatric Pfizer vaccine.
 
Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines offer strong protection against COVID-19 and its variants and either one is recommended as a booster dose for adults 30 years and older. Recent evidence suggests the Moderna vaccine may produce longer lasting immunity to the Omicron variant. A mixed mRNA vaccine series is safe and effective.
 
Approximately 4,500 appointments continue to be released daily through york.ca/COVID19Vaccine, increasing to 5,000 per day beginning Saturday, January 8, 2022. Residents are encouraged to check back often for appointments that may become available. 
 
York Region will continue to publicly communicate new online booking opportunities through multiple communication channels, including york.ca, social media and our media and community partners.

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 54,000 businesses with 650,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices

Mike Anderson
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