Demand for COVID-19 booster shots set to skyrocket in Ottawa Valley

CALABOGIE, ONT. -

As eligibility expands, the demand for COVID-19 booster shots is set to surge in the new year.

In Renfrew County as of Monday, 6,500 booster shots had been administered.

"We had less people choosing a booster in the beginning," says Andrew Keck, manager of the county's vaccine rollout. "So we only have about 45 per cent of people who are eligible electing to get a booster."

Eligibility opened up to anyone 50 and older on Monday who had received their second dose six months, or 168 days prior. Booster shots were also being administered to health care workers, long-term care home and retirement residents since November.

But with eligibility expanding to those 18-years and older come Jan. 4, 2022, Keck is expecting demand to skyrocket, due in part to the Omicron variant and the six-month waiting period for those 18 and older coming to an end.

"It's middle of December into early January," says Keck. "It's going to be quite a struggle. We could have anywhere upwards of 52,000 people being eligible by the middle of February."

At Calabogie Pharmacy, rollout of the booster shot has been slow to allow owner and pharmacist Khaled Darwish to manage the rest of his workload. But demand for the shot has nevertheless been high.

"Once it was open for 50-plus, the demand picked up really quick," Darwish tells CTV News. "Pretty much everyone is calling us, even from Renfrew; we get people calling us from Ottawa as well."

The pharmacy in Calabogie only administers a dozen or so doses per day, and is in between shipments currently.

"We still have some, but whatever we have is already booked," says Darwish, who is anticipating a greater rush for booster shots when the new year rolls around. "People are going away, so people are trying to get their booster shot now before they are leaving."

Ninety percent of Renfrew County's available booster shot appointments are now booked. Despite demand only set to go up, Keck is pushing for more third doses to be given.

"This isn't just for the vulnerable and the older population, this is for everybody. Everybody should be getting a booster dose."