More Hamiltonians eligible for COVID-19 vaccine as supply issues persist

Hamilton Public Health has announced another expansion of the local COVID-19 vaccination program.

Residents within five “hot spot” postal codes, 40 and older, can now book appointments through the city’s large-scale and mobile vaccination clinics.

The hot spot postal codes are L9C, L8W, L8L, L8N and L9K, and all clinics are by appointment only.

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The city has also announced that, in alignment with provincial direction, child-care workers within licensed facilities can book appointments starting on Thursday, April 29.

In the coming weeks, eligibility will be expanded to child-care workers in unlicensed child-care settings.

Paul Johnson, Hamilton’s emergency operations director, said the rollout is going as fast as supplies allow, noting that current priorities are “about accelerating things in hot zones.”

“Yes, we would love to have more supply so that we could ramp up to full capacity,” added Johnson, “but the reality is that we sit at about a third of the eligible population in Hamilton, now with at least one dose.”

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To date, the city says it has administered 180,169 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, reaching 32.2 per cent of eligible residents.