Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination plan

Safe and effective vaccines will help protect us against covid 19. Learn about Ontario’s three-phased plan for first doses.

This page will be updated regularly. Last updated: June 12, 2021

Vaccine update

Learn about the actions we are taking to increase protection for our most vulnerable populations from the Delta variant.

Still waiting for your second dose?

You can book your second dose today. If you already have a second dose appointment booked, you may be able to move it sooner.

Book an appointment

When you can get your first dose

Ontario's three-phase plan prioritizes vaccines for those at greatest risk of severe illness and those who care for them. As vaccine supply is delivered across the province, public health units may have different vaccine administration rates based on local context.

Ontario is using different channels to administer the vaccines and reach most of the population. Implementation will vary as each channel, priority population and vaccine has specific criteria that require flexibility.

Phase 1 High-risk populations (approximately 1.8 million people)

December 2020 – March 2021
  • Congregate living for seniors
  • Health care workers
  • Adults in First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations
  • Adult chronic home care recipients
  • Adults ages 80 and older

Distribution through:
hospital site clinics, mobile teams, site-specific clinics, mass immunization clinics, pharmacies

Phase 2 Mass deliveries of vaccines (approximately 9 million people)

April 2021 – June 2021
  • Adults aged 55 and older, in decreasing increments
  • High-risk congregate settings (such as shelters, group homes)
  • Individuals with certain health conditions
  • Certain essential caregivers
  • People who live in hot spot communities
  • Those who cannot work from home

Distribution through:
mass immunization clinics, pharmacies, primary care, site-specific clinics, mobile teams, pop-up clinics, workplace clinics, public health units

Phase 3 Steady state

July 2021 onwards
  • All remaining eligible Ontarians

Distribution through:
mass immunization clinics, pharmacies, primary care, site-specific clinics, mobile teams, pop-up clinics, public health units

All timelines are subject to change depending on vaccine supply.

Learn how the priorities are determined.

Check with your public health unit

Each public health unit has a vaccine plan tailored to their own community’s needs. Local plans align with Ontario’s vaccine distribution plan and ethical framework. Find your public health unit and check their website for details about vaccination in your area.

Find your public health unit
A person getting a vaccine shot from a healthcare worker with both wearing surgical masks

Our three-phased vaccination plan

Phase 1: High-risk populations

December 2020 to March 2021

Who is eligible

  • Staff, essential caregivers and any residents that have not yet received a first dose in:
    • long-term care homes
    • high-risk retirement homes
    • First Nations elder care homes
  • Alternative level of care patients in hospitals who have a confirmed admission to a long-term care home, retirement home or other congregate care home for seniors
  • Indigenous adults in northern remote and higher risk communities (on-reserve and urban)
  • Adults ages 80 and older
  • Staff, residents and caregivers in retirement homes and other congregate care settings for seniors (for example, assisted living)
  • Health care workers identified in the Ministry of Health’s guidance on Health Care Worker Prioritization (PDF)
  • Indigenous adults
  • Adult recipients of chronic home care

Phase 2: Mass deliveries of vaccines

April to June 2021, depending on vaccine supply

Phase 2 schedule for covid 19 vaccine booking eligibility

The following schedule includes the anticipated start dates to expand eligibility for booking, based on the current understanding of deliveries for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Public health units can continue to target people 18 and older in hot spots through other channels (for example, hospitals and pop-up clinics).

All timelines are subject to change depending on vaccine supply.

Eligibility group Week of April 26 Week of May 3 Week of May 10 Week of May 17
Provincial age band April 30:
55 and older 		May 6:
50 and older		 May 13:
40 and older		 May 18:
18 and older

May 23:
12 and older
Hotspot age band April 27:
45 and older		 May 4:
18 and older		 - -
Health conditions Highest-risk health conditions continues May 6:
High-risk health conditions		 May 11:
At-risk health conditions		 -
Cannot work from home April 29:
Licensed childcare workers		 May 6:
Group 1		 May 11:
Group 2		 -

Who is eligible

Older adults
Timing: continuing throughout May
  • All adults, in decreasing increments

Public health units determine age-based eligibility for their own community’s needs. This means eligible age groups may differ between regions.

Where to get vaccinated
Adults living or working in covid 19 hot spot communities
Timing: continuing throughout May
  • People in hot spot communities, including:
    • people ages 12 and older
    • Black and other racialized communities
Where to get vaccinated
Employer-hosted workplace clinics

Learn about the criteria for hosting an onsite vaccination clinic, if you are an employer in a hot spot community.

People who live and work in high-risk congregate settings
Timing: continuing throughout May
  • Supportive housing
  • Developmental services or intervenor and supported independent living
  • Emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness
  • People experiencing homelessness not in shelters
  • Mental health and addictions congregate settings (for example, supportive housing, hospital psychiatric patients)
  • Homes for special care
  • Employer-provided living accommodations for temporary foreign agricultural workers
  • Adult correctional facilities
  • Violence against women (VAW) shelters and anti-human trafficking (AHT) residents
  • Children’s residential facilities
  • Youth justice facilities
  • Indigenous healing and wellness facilities
  • Bail beds and Indigenous bail beds
  • Provincial and demonstration schools
Where to get vaccinated
Caregivers in select congregate care settings
Timing: continuing throughout May
  • Developmental services
  • Mental health and addictions congregate settings
  • Homes for special care
  • Children’s residential facilities
  • Indigenous healing and wellness facilities
Where to get vaccinated
Individuals with health conditions and essential caregivers
Highest risk
Timing: continuing throughout April
  • Organ transplant recipients
  • Hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients (bone marrow transplant)
  • Neurological diseases that impact breathing (for example, motor neuron disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis)
  • Haematological malignancy diagnosed within the last year
  • Kidney disease with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) under 30
  • Pregnancy
  • One essential caregiver for individuals with the conditions in this category who require regular and sustained assistance with personal care or activities of daily living
Where to get vaccinated
  • Mass immunization clinics — visit ontario.ca/bookvaccine to find out how to book
  • Hospital clinics
  • Where you receive your regular treatment, if possible
High risk
Timing: starting May 6
  • Obesity (BMI over 40)
  • Other treatments causing immunosuppression (for example, chemotherapy, immunity-weakening medications)
  • Intellectual or developmental disabilities (for example, Down Syndrome)
  • One essential caregiver for individuals with the conditions in this category who require regular and sustained assistance with personal care or activities of daily living
Where to get vaccinated
  • Mass immunization clinics — visit ontario.ca/bookvaccine to find out how to book
  • Mobile clinics
  • Where you receive your regular treatment, if possible
At risk
Timing: starting May 11
  • Immune deficiencies and autoimmune disorders
  • Stroke and cerebrovascular disease
  • Dementia
  • Diabetes
  • Liver disease
  • All other cancers
  • Respiratory diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy
  • Spleen problems, such as asplenia
  • Heart disease
  • Hypertension with end organ damage
  • Diagnosed mental disorder
  • Substance use disorders
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Thalassemia
  • Immunocompromising health conditions
  • Other disabilities requiring direct support care in the community

This list is not exhaustive – health care practitioners will use their best medical judgement to vaccinate patients with health conditions not listed (such as rare diseases) that may put them at similar or greater risk to the listed conditions.

Where to get vaccinated
  • Mass immunization clinics — visit ontario.ca/bookvaccine to find out how to book
  • Hospital clinics
  • Mobile clinics
  • Primary care settings (such as your doctor’s office)
People who cannot work from home
High-risk group (equivalent to health care workers)
Timing: continuing throughout May
  • Education workers who:
    • provide direct support to students with special education needs across the province
    • live or work in select hot spot areas
  • Individuals working in licensed childcare who interact directly with children, including:
    • licensees, employees and students over age 18 on an educational placement in licensed childcare centres and authorized recreation and skill building programs
    • licensed home childcare and in-home service providers, employees of a home childcare agency and students over age 18 on an educational placement in a licensed home child care setting
Where to get vaccinated
First group
Timing: starting May 6
  • Remaining elementary and secondary school workers (including educators, custodial, school bus drivers, administrative staff)
  • Workers responding to critical events (including police, fire, special constables, children’s aid society workers, emergency management, critical infrastructure restoration workers)
  • Enforcement, inspection and compliance roles (including by-law enforcement, building inspectors, food inspectors, animal welfare inspectors, border inspection officers, labour inspectors, WSIB field workers)
  • Remaining individuals working in licensed childcare settings (including all licensees, employees and students on educational placements who interact directly with children in licensed childcare centres and in authorized recreation and skill building programs, licensed home child care and in-home service providers, employees of home child care agencies)
  • Foster care agenda workers (including customary care providers)
  • Food manufacturing and distribution workers
  • Agriculture and farm workers
  • Funeral, crematorium and cemetery workers
Where to get vaccinated
Second group
Timing: starting May 11
  • Essential and critical retail workers (including grocery, foodbank, pharmacy, ServiceOntario, postal service, ServiceCanada, Passport Canada, wholesalers and general goods, restaurant, LCBO workers)
  • Workers in manufacturing industries directly involved in supporting the covid 19 response, construction (including infrastructure) and other essential businesses and services where facilities are at heightened risk for covid 19 outbreaks and spread
  • Independent childcare providers who directly provide care to children who are not related
  • Social workers and social services staff who provide in-person client services (including youth justice workers, Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program case workers)
  • Courts and justice system workers (including probation and parole workers)
  • Transportation, warehousing and distribution workers (including public transit workers, airport workers, truck drivers supporting essential services, marine and rail cargo and maintenance, highway maintenance)
  • Electricity (including system operations, generation, transmission, distribution and storage workers)
  • Communications infrastructure workers (including cellular, satellite, landline, internet, public safety radio)
  • Water and wastewater management workers
  • Financial services workers (bank branch staff)
  • Veterinarians and veterinary teams
  • Waste management workers
  • Oil and petroleum workers (including petroleum refineries, crude oil and petroleum storage, transmission and distribution, retail sale of fuel)
  • Natural gas and propane gas workers (including compression, storage, transmission and distribution of natural gas and propane)
  • Mine workers (including those needed to ensure the continued operation of active mines)
  • Uranium processing workers (those working in the refining and conversion of uranium and fabrication of fuel for nuclear power plants)
Where to get vaccinated
Youth
Timing: starting May 23
  • Youth in Ontario between 12 and 17 years of age and their family members who have not received a first dose of vaccine
Where to get vaccinated

Phase 3: Steady state

July 2021 and beyond

Who will be vaccinated

  • Remaining Ontarians ages 16 and older who wish to be vaccinated

Hot spot communities

covid 19 has disproportionately impacted certain neighbourhoods and communities across the province. These areas may have historical and ongoing high rates of covid 19 deaths, hospitalizations and transmission.

To target these areas, the following postal codes are:

  • designated as hot spots
  • receiving additional doses of vaccines

Hot spot postal codes

Public health unit Postal codes starting with
Durham Region Health Department L1S, L1T, L1V, L1X, L1Z
Halton Region Public Health L9E
City of Hamilton Public Health Services L8W, L9C
Niagara Region Public Health L2G
Ottawa Public Health K1T, K1V, K2V
Peel Public Health L4T, L4W, L4X, L4Z, L5A, L5B, L5C, L5K, L5L, L5M, L5N, L5R, L5V, L5W, L6P, L6R, L6S, L6T, L6V, L6W, L6X, L6Y, L6Z, L7A, L7C
Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit L3Z
Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services N2C
Wellington-Dufferin Guelph Public Health N1K
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit N8H, N8X, N8Y, N9A, N9B, N9C, N9Y
York Region Public Health L0J, L3S, L3T, L4B, L4E, L4H, L4J, L4K, L4L, L6A, L6B, L6C, L6E
Toronto Public Health M1B, M1C, M1E, M1G, M1H, M1J, M1K, M1L, M1M, M1P, M1R, M1S, M1T, M1V, M1W, M1X, M2J, M2M, M2R, M3A, M3C, M3H, M3J, M3K, M3L, M3M, M3N, M4A, M4H, M4X, M5A, M5B, M5N, M5V, M6A, M6B, M6E, M6H, M6K, M6L, M6M, M6N, M8V, M9A, M9B, M9C, M9L, M9M, M9N, M9P, M9R, M9V, M9W
Southwestern Public Health N5H


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