Education, child care, agriculture and food workers can pre-register for COVID-19 vaccine in Waterloo region

Region of Waterloo Public Health has announced more people are eligible to pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The expanded list means the following people can now pre-register to book an appointment. They include:

• Educators including teachers, educational assistants, other educators, custodial, school bus drivers and administrative staff.
• Child care workers. This includes all licensees, employees and students on educational placements who interact directly with children in licensed childcare centres and at in-home service providers.
• Workers who respondedto critical events. This includespolice, firefighters, special constables, Children's Aid Society workers, emergency management andcritical infrastructure restoration workers.
• People who work inenforcement, inspection and compliance, such as bylaw, food inspectors, WSIB inspectors.
• Foster care agenda workers.
• Food manufacturing and distribution workers.
• Agriculture and farm workers.
• Funeral, crematorium and cemetery workers.

Once they pre-register, people will receive a text, email or phone call to book their appointments.

The region also noted people aged 40 and over can pre-register to getthe AstraZeneca vaccine at local pharmacies listed on the province's website. Some family doctors are also providing the vaccine to patients. In those cases, the doctor's office will contact patients to book an appointment.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, went to a pharmacy on Tuesday afternoon to receive her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In a media release, she urged anyone 40 and over to pre-register for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"While we are in the midstofa very serious third wave with profound impacts on our community and our health care system at risk, we are fortunate to have a good supplyofthe AstraZeneca vaccine at the moment and the opportunity to vaccinate even more residents who are now eligible to get it," Wang said.

The expanded list comes after local teachers' unions and child care workers called on the province to move up the timeline of when they could receive the vaccine.

• Ontario'swebsite that lists pharmacies offering AstraZeneca