With the omicron variant rapidly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ontario and the waning immunity of people fully vaccinated earlier this year, the Ontario government is expanding eligibility for booster doses to everyone 18 years and over three months after their second dose, limiting the maximum capacity of large venues, and providing free rapid antigen testing.
“While there remains much we still don’t know about omicron, there’s one indisputable fact: the omicron variant is the most contagious — the most transmissible — variant of this virus that we’ve ever seen so far,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a media conference on Wednesday afternoon (December 15), also attended by health minister Christine Elliott and chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore.
“Omicron is now on the verge of becoming the dominant strain of COVID in Ontario — in fact, it may already be,” Ford said. “Just because this new enemy is on the offence, does not mean we can sit back and play defence. We cannot and we will not. We will meet this new enemy with full force, because right now the best defence is a lightning-fast offence. And that is what we’re doing right now. We will go after this variant with everything we have, and this will require everyone — every member of team Ontario — to stand tall and get in the fight.
“I’m issuing a call to arms,” Ford added. “Hospitals, public health units, doctors, nurses, dentists, paramedics, businesses, union workers, first responders and, most importantly, you. Everyone has a role to play in the next phase of our provincial COVID response. It’s all hands on deck, and it starts with booster shots. Nothing matters more than getting these third shots into arms. To that effect, we’re urgently expanding eligibility.”
Starting Monday (December 20), Ontarians aged 18 and over can schedule their booster dose appointment, with the interval after the second dose shortened from six months to three months (84 days). Those aged 50 and over who have already booked their booster dose for six months after their second dose can also rebook their appointments to the shortened three-month interval.
Booster dose appointments can be made through the COVID-19 vaccination portal at covid19.ontariohealth.ca, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, and at select pharmacies and primary care settings.
“One of our key components of this strategy is to get your booster dose because immunity does wane after, we think now, three months,” Dr. Moore said. “A booster dose should further protect Ontarians and that’s why that time frame’s in there.”
Effective at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday (December 18), the government will impose a 50 per cent capacity limit on indoor areas of venues with a usual capacity of 1,000 or more.
These venues include facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities, entertainment facilities (such as concert venues, theatres, and cinemas), racing venues, meeting and event spaces, studio audiences in commercial film and television production, museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments, and fair, rural exhibitions, and festivals.
“We’re having to change our direction in the face of a new enemy,” Dr. Moore said. “Omicron is much more infectious and there is a potential that it can spread in the air. Large venues like that can be mass-gathering threats of spread. Omicron is a definite game changer. We have to try to decrease the risk of rapid spread in those environments.”
Ontario is also launching a “holiday testing blitz” starting Wednesday, offering up to two million rapid antigen tests free of charge at pop-up testing sites in high-traffic settings such as malls, retail settings, holiday markets, public libraries, and transit hubs.
Pop-up teams will be deployed at nearly 50 locations across Ontario, including some co-located with GO-VAXX mobile vaccine buses. Most sites will distribute free take-home rapid antigen test kits, subject to supply, and some will offer asymptomatic rapid antigen screening on-site. The government will also make take-home rapid tests available at selected LCBO stores, starting with the busiest stores this week and with more stores being added in the coming days.
Ontarians can visit ontario.ca/holidaytesting to find out if pop-up rapid antigen screening sites will be available in their area. Locations and operating hours will be updated weekly, and no appointment will be required.
To quickly scale up capacity to administer 200,000 to 300,000 doses per day based on demand, the government has asked public health units, hospitals, pharmacists, primary care providers, and other health care providers to ramp up additional vaccination sites and to make a top priority the administration of first, second, and booster doses across the province.
“I need each of you to ask what you can do to help,” Ford said. “I need every business to ask if they can host a clinic or make their facilities available. I need every health professional to ask if they can lend as much time as possible putting needles in arms.”
“And I need every person to ask if they can volunteer at a local clinic and, most importantly, I need you to book your booster as soon as you’re able to do. Because we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that these vaccines work and boosters are the best way to prevent the worst.”
The province will also be expanding the Stop the Spread Business Information Line to allow businesses to request vaccine supply to administer on-site for employees. Businesses will need to meet certain criteria to ensure proper storage and safe administration of the vaccines, including availability of health human resources. The government will provide more information on the corporate and mobile clinics in the coming days.
