Hamilton expands vaccination program to include more essential workers, people with health conditions
Published May 10, 2021 at 8:09 pm
Hamilton residents who have certain health conditions or who cannot work from home will soon be eligible for vaccinations.
The City of Hamilton just announced that effective Tuesday, May 11, 2021, individuals with an “at-risk health condition” and people who fall into group 2 of the “cannot work from home” category are eligible to book an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Individuals with the following at-risk health conditions are eligible to book a vaccine appointment:
- Immune deficiencies and autoimmune disorders
- Stroke and cerebrovascular disease
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- Liver disease
- All other cancers
- Respiratory diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy
- Spleen problems, such as asplenia
- Heart disease
- Hypertension with end organ damage
- Diagnosed mental disorder
- Substance use disorders
- Sickle cell disease
- Thalassemia
- Immunocompromising health conditions
- Other disabilities requiring direct support care in the community
According to the provincial government, the list is not exhaustive and health-care practitioners will use their best medical judgement to vaccinate patients with health conditions not listed (such as rare diseases) that may put them at similar or greater risk.
Individuals with at-risk health conditions will receive their second dose at the 16-week mark unless the province decides to shorten the time between doses.
People who cannot work from home who fall under Group Two include:
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- Essential and critical retail workers (including grocery, foodbank, pharmacy, ServiceOntario, ServiceCanada, Passport Canada, wholesalers and general goods, restaurant, LCBO workers)
- Workers in manufacturing industries directly involved in supporting the COVID-19 response, construction (including infrastructure) and other essential businesses and services where facilities are at heightened risk for COVID-19 outbreaks and spread
- Social workers and social services staff who provide in-person client services (including youth justice workers, Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program case workers)
- Courts and justice system workers (including probation and parole workers)
- Transportation, warehousing and distribution workers (including public transit workers, truck drivers supporting essential services, marine and rail cargo and maintenance, highway maintenance)
- Electricity (including system operations, generation, transmission, distribution and storage workers)
- Communications infrastructure workers (including cellular, satellite, landline, internet, public safety radio)
- Water and wastewater management workers
- Financial services workers (bank branch staff)
- Veterinarians and veterinary teams
- Waste management workers
- Oil and petroleum workers (including petroleum refineries, crude oil and petroleum storage, transmission and distribution, retail sale of fuel)
- Natural gas and propane gas workers (including compression, storage, transmission and distribution of natural gas and propane)
- Mine workers (including those needed to ensure the continued operation of active mines)
- Uranium processing workers (those working in the refining and conversion of uranium and fabrication of fuel for nuclear power plants)
The city also announced that in accordance with changes at the provincial level, residents who are 40 years of age and older (in 2021) are eligible to book an appointment starting Thursday, May 13, 2021.
All eligible residents above can book an appointment through the provincial online booking system that can be found at www.hamilton.ca/VaccineBooking or by calling the provincial call centre at 1-888-999-6488.
Those who do not have access to the internet or a computer, or do not have a valid Ontario photo health card, can call the Public Health Services COVID-19 Hotline at 905-974-9848, option 7 to book an appointment.
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