Children in York Region who are turning 12 before the end of this year are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
This comes after the Ontario government expanded eligibility to anyone born in 2009.
Now, starting on Aug. 18, eligible youth can visit a vaccine clinic in York Region where they will be given a dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Clinics are operating on a walk-in model, but appointments are available for people who prefer to book in advance.
However, several clinics will be closing next week, including Newmarket’s Ray Twinney clinic on Aug. 26.
After clinics close, York Region residents can continue to get vaccinated at local pharmacies and pop-up clinics.
The local public health unit is advising students to get their second dose at least 14 days before they return to school to be fully vaccinated.
Youth who are receiving their first dose now will have to wait 28 days between their first and second vaccine doses.
To help ensure students and teachers are vaccinated for the school year, the Ontario government also announced they would be working with public health units to run vaccine clinics in or near schools.
The clinics are expected to operate into the first few weeks of school to make the doses accessible for students and educators who have yet to be vaccinated.
As of Aug. 16, 867,657 York Region residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 82.4 per cent of the population who are 12 and older.
In total, 800,629 residents have been fully vaccinated, which is 76 per cent of the eligible population.
