I got my first COVID-19 vaccine shot in late April. My second one was scheduled for mid-August. In Canada, the guideline was twelve weeks between shots.
Recently, it was deemed safe to schedule shots eight weeks in advance. I got the first available shot, which was AstraZeneca. It has also been deemed safe to mix vaccines, so I can do Moderna or Pfizer. I also have the choice to get AstraZeneca again.
The problem is the Ontario Health site to schedule a second shot. After numerous attempts and rejections on Monday, I got an appointment for July 10 in Orillia. To put that distance into perspective, it's roughly 80 km from where I live, which would take over an hour to drive over there on a couple of highways.
Yesterday, I decided to see if I could get something sooner. I got July 6 in Alliston, which is slightly closer to me than Orillia.
The folks at Vaccine Hunters Canada are awesome. I saw a post that said that a clinic in Brampton had Moderna shots and there were no regional restrictions. Brampton is roughly 54 km or a 35-minute drive from where I live.
I now have an appointment for my second shot next Monday. I am taking a half day off. I feel relieved. It has been an effort to get to this stage.
It isn't easy here either. I went online to the provincial site as soon as I was eligible for a second shot sooner, but there were no appointments available. Then I discovered that our Public Health had set aside vaccine for people in my age group. So I was able to book us both on the PH site for earlier than August. We got our second Pfizer shots yesterday!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Hermione
Yay! I'm so glad that all worked out. I hope that your side effects are either mild or nonexistent.
Deletewow it seems like a lucky break that you managed to get an appointment earlier AND nearer to you. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI am a lucky gal. Less time driving over there is great.
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