The hunt for a Covid 19 3rd Booster shot

[ellbell]

In Hamiton ontario, I don't know how but a coworker told me on Saturday that she was able to book a booster for her mom that day. She did not meet any of the requirements on Saturday. I jumped on it and was also able to book booster for the 30th for all 4 of my family members over 18 for the 30th.

 

[chimo2u]

Sounds like Alberta is more organized with all this...they are staggering opening the booster shots availability. Right now 50+ and HCWs. Had zero issues booking my mom & her husband. They had no wait.

Lots of walk in options too if you don't want to make an appointment.

I'm booked to get my 3rd tomorrow. Very Easy in Alberta. Just booked online for a local pharmacy in my town.

 

[ottawamom]

I was able to get one on the provincial portal this morning for DS for Jan 4. He doesn't go a lot of places so he's fine with waiting. A lot of the pharmacies around here are taking walk ins (why then did we sign up for waitlists).

Stay safe out there people.

 

[bababear_50]

Toronto. Boostered last Thursday. Pfizer. Mass vaccination clinic.

Some hints for those in Ontario and in case you found your previous shots off the main Ontario site -

*refresh refresh refresh

* push refresh over and over on the last page on the provincial site until you see something - the last page refreshes without having to input again if you do it in time

*grab whatever looks okay because you can continue looking for better locations and times - in case anyone does not know it cancels your prior appointment for you on the Ontario site. So no jeopardy to others to grab

*both my finds were cancellations that jumped back in during a refresh (I had to cancel the first due to a death in the family)

*do not get focused on a location having a late date. in case some do not know every location has multiple blocks of dates. And an earlier block of dates for the same location can be further down the page

*biggest hint - press the additional locations tab every single time you are scanning. Often an earlier block of times jump on during that extension - even when the location is on the first page with later dates. It is not always further out locations with that tab.

*don't forget to check your region for alternate clinics that are not on the Ontario site

*many surrounding towns have more accessible walk-ins at pharmacies. And do not judge walk-in times waiting. I had an appointment in Toronto and it still was an hour a half to get the shot (first and second were seven minutes to get the shot)


Good luck everyone.

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Feel like I got the golden FastPass!
I was able to move my sons appointment to Dec 23!!!
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Hugs Mel

 

[damo]

Hi Hon
I have been looking but can't seem to find it,,, do you know which type if vaccine Walmart is doing?
I'm looking for Moderna for one of my sons. (Asthma).
Thanks
Hugs
Mel

I think they are all different. I had a friend do Moderna and SIL did Pfizer. The Moderna was done in Oakville.

 

[bababear_50]

I think they are all different. I had a friend do Moderna and SIL did Pfizer. The Moderna was done in Oakville.

Thanks Hon
I was able to get him an appointment for Thursday this week.
He had Pfizer for the 1st and Moderna for the 2nd but he's willing to take either one at this point.
Thanks for posting, I am sure it will help others too.
Hugs
Mel

 

[bababear_50]

Hey Jacqueline how goes the hunt for a PCR test Hon?
Thinking of you.
Hugs
Mel

 

[FinnFogg]

I'm in BC, late 40's, got my 2nd shot in June, got my text for the booster exactly 6 months after that, booked my booster for Dec. 27th. All in all, a really painless process!

Same here…DH and I are both double AZ in BC. Got second dose mid June and received our invites for booster on the day before our 6-month date. DH was able to get a shot that morning (had to drive a bit), and I got one the next morning….both at random pharmacies. We found that by refreshing the system new appointments popped up all the time.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Hey Jacqueline how goes the hunt for a PCR test Hon?
Thinking of you.
Hugs
Mel

still no test yet, she managed to track down a rapid test from her cousin since she's a teacher and has a little guy in JK but we've still got to pick it up! There's no way I'm letting my baby spend this Christmas alone in a tiny drab basement apartment but we need to get her tested before we pick her up! At this point it's looking like we'll need to consider ourselves a unit and isolate BUT that means I can't go for my treatments.
Apparently she's feeling much better today but she's too responsible to leave her house without confirmation. She works for a company that's based in the states and they had sent up a box of tests at the beginning of December HOWEVER they're all expired

 

[mommasita]

still no test yet, she managed to track down a rapid test from her cousin since she's a teacher and has a little guy in JK but we've still got to pick it up! There's no way I'm letting my baby spend this Christmas alone in a tiny drab basement apartment but we need to get her tested before we pick her up! At this point it's looking like we'll need to consider ourselves a unit and isolate BUT that means I can't go for my treatments.
Apparently she's feeling much better today but she's too responsible to leave her house without confirmation. She works for a company that's based in the states and they had sent up a box of tests at the beginning of December HOWEVER they're all expired

Ugh.. how far expired? Could she try in the meantime.

I am so sorry. It should not be this difficult.

 

[mommasita]

No date for 50-60 here in Quebec. boosters that is, only a curfew one
I will just bite my tongue on this Province now, more to follow at 6pm. Tomorrow
I’m an emergency response operator, worked at the office throughout the whole pandemic, we have now started to work from home, which was supposed to be an impossibility.
I could work 18 hours straight (max allowed), and it’s a nightmare.
It is really bad, high pressure, I have 2.5 days left.

We leave Saturday, we test before we go (not a rule, but we don’t want to travel and possibly bring it to anyone/anywhere. We will drive straight through to our place in Florida and hibernate there for 2 weeks. I would like to, and will probably try for our boosters there. My husband had covid and was hospitalized last year.

 

[lisaviolet]

No date for 50-60 here in Quebec. boosters that is, only a curfew one
I will just bite my tongue on this Province now, more to follow at 6pm. Tomorrow
I’m an emergency response operator, worked at the office throughout the whole pandemic, we have now started to work from home, which was supposed to be an impossibility.
I could work 18 hours straight (max allowed), and it’s a nightmare.
It is really bad, high pressure, I have 2.5 days left.

We leave Saturday, we test before we go (not a rule, but we don’t want to travel and possibly bring it to anyone/anywhere. We will drive straight through to our place in Florida and hibernate there for 2 weeks. I would like to, and will probably try for our boosters there. My husband had covid and was hospitalized last year.

If you do not get it here, here's hoping it will be easily accessible for you down south mommasita.

Hope you have a relaxing and peaceful time away.

 

[lisaviolet]

still no test yet, she managed to track down a rapid test from her cousin since she's a teacher and has a little guy in JK but we've still got to pick it up! There's no way I'm letting my baby spend this Christmas alone in a tiny drab basement apartment but we need to get her tested before we pick her up! At this point it's looking like we'll need to consider ourselves a unit and isolate BUT that means I can't go for my treatments.
Apparently she's feeling much better today but she's too responsible to leave her house without confirmation. She works for a company that's based in the states and they had sent up a box of tests at the beginning of December HOWEVER they're all expired

Here's hoping for a good outcome. So sorry it has been so frustrating.

 

[azrivest]

No date for 50-60 here in Quebec. boosters that is, only a curfew one
I will just bite my tongue on this Province now, more to follow at 6pm. Tomorrow
I’m an emergency response operator, worked at the office throughout the whole pandemic, we have now started to work from home, which was supposed to be an impossibility.
I could work 18 hours straight (max allowed), and it’s a nightmare.
It is really bad, high pressure, I have 2.5 days left.

We leave Saturday, we test before we go (not a rule, but we don’t want to travel and possibly bring it to anyone/anywhere. We will drive straight through to our place in Florida and hibernate there for 2 weeks. I would like to, and will probably try for our boosters there. My husband had covid and was hospitalized last year.

Thank you for all the hard work you and your colleagues have done in the last year.

I'm also from Quebec. I'm just hoping I can get my 3rd shot before mid-Feb...

Enjoy your time in Florida

 

[lorenni]

In Toronto, and signed up for multiple pharmacy waitlists yesterday. Got a text this morning and was able to book my booster for Jan 11. Could be worse - but should be better.

Absolutely no availability through Toronto Public Health.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Even here in the states, to quote Jersey boys, it’s like “the stations of the cross” trying to find an appointment. I have to wait about two more weeks before my scheduled appointment but I’m hoping to get it done before then. It should not be this hard to get a booster.

 

[Donald - my hero]

when I was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital for my treatment I was listening to the news playing in the background and it made me take a pause. It was someone connected to Peel health unit and he said we need to remember that to suddenly open up for the entire adult population to get vaccinated is bound to fail. It took over 6 months to get that same cohert to get even 1 shot never mind 2 so to expect we'd all be able to get our boosters before the end of the year simply isn't realistic.

the virus has mutated to a point that boosters are necessary but unfortunately we simply don't have the ability to accomplish that quickly. Most mass clinics closed in September/October in our city have reverted back to what they were (hockey arena, university community centre and a large factory lunchroom) so just can't pivot back overnight. Staff was mainly volunteers and they're tired! It's hard once again to be patient with this war but I found thinking about it from this perspective helped settle my mind.

don't get me started on the testing though, we'll never get ahead if we can't tell who is infected, contact tracing can't happen (people are being told to assume they're positive in our region now and do their own calls to potential contacts!)

 

[lisaviolet]

I am glad that once again people do seem to be lining up to get the shots though!

Yes.

Despite frustrations it is truly wonderful to see everyone going out of their way to get a shot.

 

[podgirl]

Just a tip to follow the hashtag for your city on Twitter, as people will announce pop up clinics that way. I saw there was one in at a pharmacy in my city today and was able to get my young adult boys in and out in 45 minutes for their boosters that way.

 

[stfxkid]

I got my booster in the US, coming back from a trip earlier this month. No lines and plenty of doses, if you live near the boarder you can always drive down, and get a test at the same time so you can come home. I got the booster free, showed my passport and Ontario QR certificate with with first two vaccines at Costco, and my Covid test (Abott IDNOW) at Walgreens, I got the responses back 1 hour later. Just Load it all into ArriveCAN and come home.