OTTAWA -- Ontario is taking the next step in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout Monday, as people 75 and older move next in line to receive the shot.

Starting at 8 a.m. Monday, anyone turning 75 this year or older became eligible to book a shot in the province.

"I’m trying to be cautious and this will make such a difference in my life," said Georgina Fitzgerald, who will be booking an appointment to roll up her sleeve.

"It’s the protection it will bring for me, even though I know you still have to be cautious."

Fitzgerald’s daughter Alison Van Diepen said Sunday she would be helping her mom and dad navigate the online booking portal.

"I’m going to be logging on at 7:59:30. I will make sure I am right there," said Van Diepen. "It means putting the fear behind us, it means not being afraid to interact with them and to somehow put them at risk."

Appointments for anyone aged 75 or over can be booked online through the province’s online booking portal or on the phone by calling 1-833-943-3900 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).

"You’re going to start to see the pace of vaccination ramping up starting this week and into next week and this is going to move pretty quickly. It’s pretty exciting," said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious diseases physician and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force.

As of Friday, nearly 88,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in Ottawa. The city said on Friday that more than 20,000 residents aged 80 and over in Ottawa had booked an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine last week.

On Monday, Ontario will also begin expanding vaccine administration in pharmacies to include a total of 700 locations in the province.

There are no Ottawa pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines at this time. Premier Doug Ford said Monday the initial pharmacy expansion would focus on Toronto, Peel, and York Regions. You can see a list of eligible pharmacies on the province's website.

However, one Ottawa doctor would like to see that expanded further.

"There’s no reason to give it to any pharmacy before you also give it to family doctors, we should all have it," said family physician, Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth.

Some physicians in Ontario are in fact giving shots to patients in their own clinics, but that’s not yet the case in Ottawa.

"Why wouldn’t we have all hands on deck? Why wouldn’t we say every family doctor? And we all have vaccine fridges in our offices; that is what we do, we immunize against everything else.  Why wouldn’t every family doctor have the AstraZeneca vaccine in our offices to give to anyone over 60?" said Dr. Kaplan-Myrth.

Still, for those next in line like Fitzgerald, anxious to book their shot Monday, this next step means feeling safe enough to reconnect with loved ones.

"I also have a 4-month-old grandson and the only way I see him up close is on FaceTime," she said. 

"I have not held him yet and that I am so looking forward to."

What you need to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine

The Ontario government says when booking an appointment, 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