Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – I’m frustrated I can’t book an earlier vaccine appointment at Halton Region clinics.

Welcome to the Mayor’s Monday Mailbag, a new initiative Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor’s Office has launched to share weekly answers to questions from the public we’ve received through our main email inbox at mayor@burlington.ca or the Mayor’s social media platforms.At the end of the month, we’ll publish a roundup of those most pressing questions we’ve received in the weeks prior.Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – June 21, 2021QUESTION:It's very frustrating that I can't book an earlier appointment at a Halton regional clinic, but meanwhile I'm hearing there are many more appointments available in Toronto and Peel Region -- what's going on?ANSWER:The Province of Ontario determines vaccine distribution, and they send vaccines to certain areas (such as hot spot areas with higher case numbers) and based on demographics within each eligibility category.Regional Chair Gary Carr has also been advocating to the Province, saying Halton clinics are ready for more vaccines -- we have the capacity to double the amount of people vaccinated in the clinics if Halton was getting more of the vaccine supply.Halton Region has a very high uptake in appointments, versus other regions where they may have more vaccine hesitancy. Our appointments at our clinics are extremely booked up, and our pharmacies all have waiting lists, when other places have appointments available.The best course of action to help with this is to contact your local MP about procuring more vaccines for the country, and your local MPP for equitable supply in Halton Region. Mayor Meed Ward is continuing to advocate for this as well.RELATED LINKS:

• Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – June 14, 2021 -- Smelly gunk on Beachway shoreline
• COVID-19 Vaccine Updates -- bit.ly/COVIDVaccineUpdates

—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist