Halton has expanded the eligibility criteria for the regions COVID-19 vaccination program to include those who are 18+ and at the highest risk.

“We continue to follow direction from the Province on prioritization and we are pleased to be able to expand to these priority populations,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr in a press release sent out yesterday. “In addition to our mobile teams, our community clinics operate seven days a week and I cannot thank staff enough for the hard work they are doing each and every day. We will keep opening up appointments to our community as long as supply continues to be provided by the Federal and Provincial Governments.”

The following have been added to the eligibility list:

1. Individuals (age 18 and older) with highest-risk and high-risk health conditions and one essential caregiver:
   • highest-risk health conditions include: organ transplant recipients; hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients; and people with neurological diseases in which respiratory function may be compromised (e.g., motor neuron disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis), haematological malignancy diagnosed within the past year, or kidney disease (eGFR <30): and
   • high-risk health conditions include: obesity (body mass index over 40), or receiving treatments causing immunosuppression (e.g., chemotherapy, immunity-weakening medications), and intellectual or developmental disabilities (e.g., Down syndrome).
2. Essential workers (age 18 and older) who cannot work from home (Group 1 as identified by Province):
   • elementary/secondary school workers (including educators, custodial, school bus drivers, administrative staff);
   • workers responding to critical events (including police, fire, special constables, children’s aid society workers, emergency management, and critical infrastructure restoration workers);
   • enforcement, inspection and compliance roles (including by-law enforcement, building inspectors, food inspectors, animal welfare inspectors, border inspection officers, and labour inspectors/WSIB field workers);
   • all licensees, employees and students on an educational placement who interact directly with children in licensed child care centres and in authorized recreation and skill building programs;
   • licensed home child care and in-home service providers, employees of a home child care agency and students on an educational placement;
   • foster care agency workers (including customary care providers);
   • food manufacturing and distribution workers;
   • agriculture and farm workers; and
   • funeral, crematorium and cemetery workers.
3. Adults 50+ in an identified hotspot area (Adults 50 years of age and older living in the L9E postal code area, in Milton).
   
4. Remaining health care workers who live or work in Halton and cannot work from home.

Residents can book vaccination appointments through Halton’s online booking system. There are also 19 pharmacies now offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to all residents 55 years of age and older. Residents can learn how to book an appointment at a local pharmacy by visiting ontario.ca/PharmacyCovidVaccine. Appointments must be booked directly with the pharmacy and cannot be booked through Halton’s system or 311.