Ontario will test COVID-19 vaccine booking portal in 6 health units
People over age 80, health-care workers will be asked to try booking system early
Ontario's website for booking COVID-19 vaccination appointments will begin a "soft launch" in six public health units this week, two weeks before it becomes available across the province,.
The website will not be available to the general population in those regions, said the Ministry of Health in an email.
Instead, public health officials will reach out to a small number of individuals who are 80 or older, as well as some eligible health-care workers, starting Monday.
The ministry said the plan will help the province test components of the system before the full launch, determine whether any changes need to be made to the system and organize the vaccination of larger populations.
The site is a "public-facing extension" of the COVaxON system the province has been using since the start of the vaccine rollout, it said, and will also serve to keep track of inoculation data.
The regions participating in the soft launch are Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington; Peterborough County-City; Hastings and Prince Edward; Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark; Grey Bruce; and Lambton.
Some of those regions have been contacting eligible residents in other ways to come to their clinics.
On-Going COVID-19 vaccine clinics get started this week with high-risk healthcare workers as the first group being vaccinated. North Grenville site shown with Kemptville District Hospital Nurse, Debbie Allingham, receiving her 1st dose. Full media release: <a href="https://t.co/1CwSMskgOz">https://t.co/1CwSMskgOz</a> <a href="https://t.co/xfEOJxMwbC">pic.twitter.com/xfEOJxMwbC</a>
—@LGLHealthUnitA source told The Canadian Press the site will not be available to other regions before March 15, even those that have already begun vaccinating members of the 80-and-over age group such as York and Peel.
Those regions must use "existing relationships with residents" to book the vaccinations until the online platform launches on March 15, when they're expected to switch to the provincial system.
KFL&A Public Health is working with the province to test Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine booking system this week. A select number of individuals and very high priority health care workers are taking part. Help keep our phone lines free, booking is NOT available to the general public. <a href="https://t.co/JHPLeo7uTX">pic.twitter.com/JHPLeo7uTX</a>
—@KFLAPHThe source said the website will focus at first on appointments at mass vaccination sites, but the province will work with public health units in the coming weeks to make sure it's compatible with other facilities such as hospital sites and mobile clinics.
The government has faced criticism for what some describe as the slow rollout of its vaccine booking portal, which is expected to launch the same day the head of the vaccine task force said people aged 80 and over would start getting the shots.
- Ontario's essential workers eager to know when they'll be eligible for vaccines
- Hard-hit community welcomes report recommending vaccine rollouts by neighbourhood
Retired general Rick Hillier said his team was "furiously working" to test and refine the site so it would be up-and-running on time.
Health Minister Christine Elliott defended the timeline, saying the government was still testing the site and wanted to ensure it won't crash when it goes live.
"We don't want to rush to failure," she said last week.
