2,000 bookings made in the first hour in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph for 50+ COVID-19 booster – Guelph | The Canadian News

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says all went well with its online reservation system for COVID-19 vaccines Monday morning, as residents 50 and older who received their second injection at least six months ago they became eligible for a booster dose.

The portal was opened for appointments around 8 a.m. and a spokesperson said about 2,000 bookings were made in the first hour.

Outside of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, things weren’t so easy with Ontario’s reservation system appearing to have collapsed.

The local public health unit is one of the few in Ontario that has its own reserve system instead of residents using the provincial system.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott says the province is working to resolve the “intermittent technical problem.”

People can also book by phone and at some pharmacies and primary care clinics.

Booster eligibility will open to all adults on January 4, but the province’s chief physician has said the schedule could advance faster if capacity allows.

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The expanded eligibility comes as Ontario’s expert advisory panel on COVID-19 said the Omicron variant, first detected in the province in late November, now accounts for 21 percent of Ontario’s COVID-19 cases. .

Public health reported a case of Omicron variant in Guelph last week in a 10 to 20-year-old man experiencing mild symptoms.

As of Monday, Guelph had a total of 127 active COVID-19 cases in the city, while Wellington County had 68 cases.