Ontario youth aged 12+ now eligible to book earlier second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Ontario youth aged 12 to 17 can now book an accelerated second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Appointments opened up at 8 a.m. Monday on the provincial portal for those wanting to get their second dose earlier than their original booking.

The only COVID-19 vaccine approved for the age group is the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

Ontario initially booked people in for a second shot four months after their initial dose but has since been ramping up a vaccination campaign.

More than 196,000 doses were given to Ontarians of all ages on Saturday. Roughly 78 per cent of eligible people in the province have now had their first dose and more than 40 per cent are fully vaccinated.