Halton Residents 60 years and over can book COVID19 appointments starting Tuesday

By: Laura Steiner

Halton Region has lowered the age of eligibility for COVID19 vaccines.  Beginning Tuesday April 6, residents 60 years of age and over will be able to book appointments at one of six mass vaccination clinics throughout the four  municipalities.

“Our six clinics are open seven days a week to serve our community, and I want to thank our staff and partners for the hard work they are doing each day to make getting vaccinated as easy as possible,” Halton Region Chair Gary Carr said.  Appointments can be booked through the Region’s website. The province of Ontario has added five Milton area locations to the list of pharmacies offering AstraZeneca vaccine to residents 55 and older.  Residents need to call, and book directly through them.

The news comes the same day as new modelling released by the Ontario Science Table reveals the dominance of variant strains over the original strain of COVID19.  The UK variant has been responsible for approximately 60% of the cases over the last week.  “As cases continue to rise, we all need to stay focused on protecting our own health, the health of our loved ones, and that of our community.  Even if you or someone you know has been partially or fully vaccinated, public health measures like wearing a mask, physical distancing and limiting your close contacts to people you live with are still critical,” Halton Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Meghani said.

Ontario reported 2,557 new cases of COVID19, and 25 deaths.  Halton reported 77 new cases, with 27 of these coming from Milton.  The province of Ontario, and Region of Halton will not be reporting updated case statistics on their websites April 2 due to the Good Friday statutory holiday.