Walk-in appointments open at all regional COVID-19 vaccine clinics as of Monday

All regionally-run vaccination clinics will accept walk-ins ofall ages for first, second or third doses of theCOVID-19vaccine as of Monday.

Vickie Murray, who leads the region's vaccination rollout,said the clinicsroutinely give Moderna, but the region is anticipating an increase in supply of Pfizer-BioNTech, so people can request that brand if desired.

Murray said other vaccines, such as AstraZeneca orJanssen,the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, are available by special request through theregion's website.

"We certainly do understand that there are some people in the community who are more interested in getting a viral vector vaccine than getting the Pfizer and the Moderna," Murray said during a board of health meeting Wednesday.

Risks with Janssen vaccine: Wang

During a media briefing on Friday, Murray said there have been about 300 people who have expressed interest in the Janssen vaccine.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, said people who getthe single-dose Janssen vaccine are doing so with "informed consent."

"It is not the best option and there are risks with it, more risks with it" than the mRNA vaccines,Wang said.

In July, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that the Janssen vaccine may pose a "small possible risk" for people developing and immune-system disorder known as Guillain-Barrsyndrome.

Also, as anadenovirus vector vaccines, bothJohnson and Johnson's andAstraZeneca-Oxford's shots carry therisk of rare but potentially serious blood clots.

As of Friday's update, just over 78 per cent of all residents in the region had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.