COVID-19 booster in Ontario: Third shot will be available to all adults starting Monday as Omicron variant spreads rapidly

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday that as of Monday, Dec. 20 all adults (age 18 and older) will be eligible to received a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine three months (84 days) after their second dose.

"There is one indisputable fact, the Omicron variant is the most contagious, the most transmissible variant of this virus that we’ve ever seen, so far," Ford said.

"Just because this new enemy is on the offence does not mean we can sit back and play defence.... We will meet this new enemy with full force."

Booster dose appointments can be booked through the Ontario’s booking portal, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre (1-833-943-3900), through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, participating pharmacies and primary care settings.

Pharmacies can administer booster shots for adults 18 and older at the three-month interval, for walk-ins, as of Friday, Dec. 17.

While Ford said that "everything is on the table" to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, he also indicated that Ontario will not go back to a "lockdown system" to "try to get our of this." He stressed that the "best tool" is for everyone to get vaccinated, including receiving a booster shot.

"Locking ourselves down out of this isn’t the solution," the premier said.

Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said it's believed that immunity wanes after about three months and booster shots can "further protect Ontarians."

Reducing capacity limits for large event venues

Additionally, the provincial government announced that effective Saturday, Dec. 18, Ontario will add a 50 per cent capacity limit for venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or more.

This includes, sports and recreational fitness facilities, entertainment and concert venues, theatres, movie theatres, museums and galleries, racing venues and other event and meeting spaces.

When asked about only adding capacity limits to these larger venues, Dr. Moore said these setting could be "mass gathering threats of spread" because there is "potential" that the virus spreads in the air.

"Omicron is much more infectious and there is a potential that it can spread in the air and large venues like that can be mass gathering threats of spread," Dr. Moore said.

"We’re very concerned that there could be much more aerosol spread than other strains. We always assumed that there was a component of spread but because it’s so much more rapidly spreading than Delta, we want to decrease the number of people in those high access areas."

Some Ontario health experts commented on social media that the provincial government should be promoting the use of N95 masks.

Holiday testing blitz

Amid calls for Ontario to make free rapid rapid tests available for the public, the provincial government is starting a "holiday testing blitz."

Up to two million rapid tests will be provided, for free, at pop-up sites like malls, retail settings, holiday markets, public libraries, transit hubs, as well as select LCBO stores.

Take-home rapid antigen test kits will be provided at these sites, or on-site rapid tests will be administered.

Infectious disease and health experts in Ontario have taken to social media to comment on these changes by the provincial government, with several pleased about making free rapid tests accessible.