All Peel Region residents 18+ now eligible to book COVID-19 vaccine shots as of Thursday

All Peel Region residents aged 18 and over will be eligible to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments starting onThursday at 8 a.m.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombiesaid on Wednesday thatvaccine eligibility is expanding to include thosewho are 18 years and older but who live outside provincially designated hot-spot postal codes.

Currently, only those who are 18 years and older and who live in hot-spot postal codes are eligible to register through the provincial booking system.

This expansion opens eligibility for 50,000 residentswho do not live in hot spots and who have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated, Peel Region said in a news release on Wednesday.

Crombiesaidthe expansion of vaccine eligibility is "incredible news"for Peel Region.

"The reality is that we couldn't wait any longer to make that vaccine available to every adult in Peel," Crombietold reporters at a weekly news briefing in Mississauga.

"Peel Region has been a hot spot for a very long time, and in fact, we've been on fire."

20% of Ontario's COVID-19 cases come fromPeel Region

Crombie said Peel Region has 10 per cent of Ontario's population but accounts for 20 per cent of all COVID-19 cases. She added that the region has a large number of essential workers. Peel Region includes Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

WATCH | Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie speaks to CBC's Power & Politics:

Peel Region expands vaccine eligibility to all adults

3 years ago

Duration 4:00

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie tells Power & Politics adults not living in hot spots will also be eligible for a vaccine dose.

Peel Region added in the release: "As one of the hardest hit communities in the province, this announcement extendsthevitalprotectionprovided by vaccinationtoalladultPeelresidents."

Peel Region has 11 mass vaccination clinics.

Peel Region residents who are aged 18 to 49 but who do not live in a hot-spot postal code must book online using the region's booking system. For help with booking, residents can call the region's COVID-19 vaccination line at (905) 791-5202, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.
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The postal codes for this booking system are as follows:

• L4V, L4Y.
• L5E, L5G, L5H, L5J.
• L7E, L7K.

Peel Region residents 18 and older and who live in hot-spot postal codes should continue to use the provincial booking system orcall the provincial booking line at 1-833-943-3900 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).

The provincial hot-spot postal codes are as follows:

• L4T, L4W, L4X, L4Z.
• L5A, L5B, L5C, L5K, L5L, L5M, L5N, L5R, L5V, L5W.
• L6P, L6R, L6S, L6T, L6V, L6W, L6X, L6Y, L6Z.
• L7A, L7C.

All residents who are aged50 and oldercan use the provincialbooking system, regardless of postal code.

"Given the interest anddemand tobook appointmentsat our clinics,residents areencouraged to book as soon aspossible. We ask for patience in booking as given the scale of this effort, there may be wait times to access the website or call centres," Peel Regionsaid in the release.

Medical officer 'thrilled' by expansion

Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel's medical officer of health, agreed that the expansion of vaccine eligibility is good news.

"Now is the time for every adult Peel resident to access vaccine," Loh said in the release.

"We are thrilled tohavevaccine supply toenhance our mass vaccination efforts andoffer protectionto everyone over 18 who lives in Peel Region.This is a very important stepin our fight against COVID-19, as we work towardsvaccinating our communityas quickly as possible."

6 Peel workplaces to set up vaccination clinics for workers

More workplace vaccination clinics in hot spots, meanwhile, are going to be opening in Peel.

Peel Regionsaid in a news release on Wednesdaysix more employers are setting up workplaceclinics. The six, selected by the province, are: HelloFresh, Walmart, Loblaws, Magna, Air Canada, and Purolator.

The regionsaid the clinics, which are designed for employees of each facility only, are a continuation of "public-private vaccination partnerships" introduced in Peel last month.

Details about locations and dates operations through the six employers will be released shortly, the regionsaid.

These workplaces will also operate future local community clinics, with the help of Peel Region and community organizations, the region added.

Future clinics will be held at community centres, places of worship and community hubs in the hopes that the region can vaccinate populations that arehardest to reach,the releasesaid.