Ontario Residents Able to Download Enhanced COVID-19 Vaccine Certificates As of This Weekend

By: Laura Steiner

Verify Ontario is now available for download.  The app is for businesses to be able to scan the QR code associated with the enhanced vaccination certificate.  The app is designed to make it easier to check an individual’s vaccine status.

“The enhanced vaccine certificates and Verify Ontario app will give our businesses further comfort in their ability to operate as we take further steps to protect people’s privacy,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at his press conference Friday.  The enhanced vaccine certificate is scheduled to be implemented October 22, 2021.

Residents can download their QR Code from the Provincial vaccine portal over the next few days based on their birth month

• October 15, 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: All individuals born between January and April
• October 16, 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: All individuals born between May and August
• October 17, 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: All individuals born between September to December
• Monday October 18 at 6 a.m., the portal opens regardless of a birthday.

“Getting vaccinated is the single most important thing Ontarians can do to protect themselves,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said.  Residents can also have an enhanced vaccination certificate mailed to them by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre: 1-833-943-9300.  Businesses must accept both paper and electronic versions.

Businesses and organizations are advised to download the app ahead of the October 22 deadline in order familiarize themselves with its features.  “The VerifyOntario app will support Ontario businesses, protect our hard-fought progress by making it quicker and easier to confirm if a person is fully vaccinated, while protecting their privacy,” Associate Minister of Digital Government Kaleed Rasheed said.

The app is made in Ontario in cooperation with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE).  It will only read enhanced certificates from Quebec, British Columbia and Yukon Territory.  And it will work without the Internet.  Ontario implemented a vaccine passport September 22, 2021.  82% of residents over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated with two doses.  “Proof of vaccination using the new vaccine certificate with QR code and Verify Ontario app are important tools to help stop the spread of virus while keep businesses and organizations open safely,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said.

Ontario recorded an increase of 496 new cases of COVID-19.  334 of those are in those who have not been fully vaccinated. There are 163 people in ICU, and of those 148 have unknown vaccination status.