Ontario COVID-19 vaccine passports will remain at 2 doses, says Premier Doug Ford | The Canadian News

Premier Doug Ford says the current requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine certificate will remain that way.

When a reporter asked if the prime minister would update the vaccine certificate requirement to include three doses instead of two, Ford said “not right at this stage.”

Ford made the brief remark at a news conference on Thursday where he unveiled a reopening plan for the province that included removing closures on restaurants’ indoor eateries and gyms, while easing other capacity restrictions from January 31st.

The proof of vaccination system will continue to apply to certain indoor public institutions such as restaurants, gyms and theaters for at least the next two months as set out in the reopening plan.

The government also recently ordered Ontarians to use a vaccine certificate that includes a scannable QR code to gain access to those institutions, as the older versions were susceptible to fraud.

As of Thursday, from the age of 12 and older population, 88.8 percent were fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, third-dose immunization is at 44.8 percent – more than 5.7 million Ontarians have received a booster shot.

Steven Del Duca, leader of the Liberal Party in Ontario, criticized Ford for not updating the requirements for the vaccine passport after three shots.

“It’s time for Ontario to need reinforcement shots for vaccine certificates, @fordnation. “This is a measure that will increase the recording of a boost, make the reopening safer, and bring us back to doing the things we love sooner,” Del Duca wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath said the vaccine passports need to be further extended to more non-essential businesses, LCBOs and cannabis retail stores.

“Those places must also require certificates,” Horwath said.

“It is also peculiar that this edition of the third dose was only dismissed out of hand by the Prime Minister,” Horwath continued. “That the idea that the third dose is a requirement for the fully vaccinated passport has been completely ignored.”

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