70 and over eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations

Southwestern Public Health announced Monday morning, March 29, that anyone 70 and older now qualified to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Previously, only those 75 and older could get them, with some exceptions.

The health unit reported that Ontario government data showing that as of Saturday, March 27, more than 75 percent of residents 80 and over in the province had received their first of two vaccine doses, and over a third between 75 and 79.

Southwestern Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock said older Ontarians were more susceptible to severe illness and hospitalization if they caught COVID-19, which was why the focus of vaccinations remained on them.