OTTAWA -- The City of Ottawa says new COVID-19 vaccine appointments will become available Sunday morning, the same time the province opens eligibility to anyone 12 and older.

In a release Saturday afternoon, the city said the additional appointments would be available starting at 8 a.m. Sunday; however, the city did not specify how many appointments would be available, nor did it say when the vaccinations would take place.

When eligibility expanded to anyone 18 and older on Tuesday, all available appointments in Ottawa were booked up in under three hours. Most appointments were for mid-to-late June. The city was not expected to announce further appointments until the week of May 31.

The Ontario government announced late Friday afternoon that youth aged 12 and older across Ontario would be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial booking system and call centre as of Sunday morning. Only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for children 12 to 17 in Canada.

Appointments can also be booked at select pharmacies administering the Pfizer vaccine.

Speaking on the CTV News at Six on Friday, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson said city officials have told the province that Ottawa needs another 40,000 doses to meet the demand for residents 12 to 17.

The city only adds new appointments to the provincial portal when it knows it has enough supply to accommodate those appointments..

Sonia Festeryga, 37, said she tried to book an appointment when she became eligible earlier this week but was unsuccessful. Starting Sunday, her own children will be eligible, too.

"I wasn’t able to get an appointment even though I was on before 9 a.m.," she told CTV News. "Kind of feels like competing with the younger generation to get a spot."

Festeryga said that, come Sunday, she will be trying to book appointments for herself, her husband, and her kids.

"I'll definitely be online at 8 a.m. trying to get my shot in and hopefully I’ll be able to get a spot," she said.

A memo to city councillors sent Saturday said staff anticiapte these latest appointments to fill up quickly.

"The demand for vaccine among individuals 18+ remains high in Ottawa as well, so the number of community clinic appointments is not anticipated to meet demand until further doses are confirmed by the Province," said the memo, co-signed by medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches and general manager of emergency and protective services Anthony Di Monte.

To meet the demand for these latest appointments, the city is also adding a community clinic at the St-Laurent Complex, located at 525 Coté St. 

Di Monte said earlier this week that the city is planning to open dedicated COVID-19 vaccine appointments for youths 12 to 17 the weeks of June 14 and 21. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR A COVID-19 VACCINE

The Ontario government says when booking an appointment through the provincial online system, you will be asked for the following information:

  • Government of Ontario green photo health card
  • Birth date
  • Postal code
  • Email address or phone number

At the time of booking, eligible individuals will schedule their first and second vaccination appointments. Individuals must be 12 years or older to be eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment online. The Ontario government says if you are currently 11 years old, call 1-833-943-3900.

Correction:

A previous version of this article was incorrect in stating that individuals who were 11 years old would be able to book online as long as they were 12 at the time of their appointment. The Ontario government's vaccination portal says an individual must already be at least 12 to successfully book using the online portal.

The Ontario government says if you are currently 11 years old, call 1-833-943-3900.

We regret the error.