Hamilton’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts hit snags as booster eligibility expands

Hamilton | COVID |

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Published December 20, 2021 at 10:49 am

The Canadian Press

On the day booster shot eligibility was expected to expand to all adults, Hamilton’s vaccination rollout hit a few snags.

On Monday (Dec. 20), a number of frustrated residents took to social media to vent their frustrations with the notoriously overwhelmed provincial vaccine portal as well as the City of Hamilton’s vaccine booking website.

Some residents noted that even after waiting for an hour or more, the system would no longer provide access to appointments.

In some cases, people have reported that when they were finally able to access the booking site, the only appointments available were weeks into the New Year.

Additionally, the City’s vaccine clinic at the Centre on Barton in east Hamilton was overwhelmed with residents seeking their jab.

In a Tweet issued shortly before 10:30 a.m. the City of Hamilton confirmed that the clinic is experiencing delays and more staff were being sent to the site to address the capacity issues.

“Additional staff are attending site to increase capacity and catch up, all appointments will be honoured but expect delays,” the Tweet said.

The clinic at the Centre on Barton takes walk-ins and appointment bookings.

The province announced last week that it was expanding eligibility in an effort to bolster defences against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Pharmacies were able to start offering the boosters to younger adults on Friday, but as of Monday morning, Ontarians can make appointments through the province’s or a local public health unit’s website.

— with a file from The Canadian Press

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