Expanding COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Channels

Pharmacies and primary care settings will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations

As supply increases, our PC government is expanding delivery channels to administer COVID-19 vaccines to include pharmacies and primary care provider settings.    

As of Friday, March 12, over 325 pharmacies will be offering the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine to Ontarians aged 60-64, by appointment only, as part of the vaccine delivery pilot program. Select pharmacies will begin booking appointments starting today, March 10, 2021, in three public health unit regions: Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. The vaccine rollout will be expanded to more pharmacies in other regions of the province as supply increases.  

All vaccinations available through pharmacies will require an appointment to be made in advance by contacting the pharmacy. Adults aged 60-64 can find a comprehensive list of participating pharmacies at Ontario’s COVID-19 Website.

To ramp up capacity for vaccination, our PC government is working with primary care professionals to offer the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine in primary care settings and community locations, such as physician offices, in collaboration with public health units, beginning in Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph, Peterborough, Simcoe-Muskoka, and Peel as of Saturday March 13. Starting today, primary care providers in these areas will be contacting eligible Ontarians aged 60-64 directly to book an appointment. Please do not call your primary care provider – they will not be taking appointments by request.

Ontario’s vaccine rollout is well underway, with Phase One nearing completion with nearly one million vaccine doses administered. Over 120 mass immunization clinics are planned to open this month in addition to sites already open, increasing the province’s vaccine administration capacity to over 150,000 doses per day, dependent on supply.