Online calculator estimates when Canadians will get COVID-19 vaccine

A woman from Ontario has created an online calculator to give Canadians a sense of when they will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Jasmine Mah, who has a master’s degree in science, familiarized herself with the federal government’s guidelines, but couldn’t figure out when she could expect to get the vaccine.

So she used the criteria, and co-created the Vaccine Queue Calculator, which launched Thursday.

“The calculator is based on the national guidelines, provided from the Government of Canada. So you’re going to put in your age, and then there’s a bunch of little questions: Are you a health worker? Do you live in a group setting, like a long-term care home? Those will help determine which stage you’re going to be categorized as,” she explains.

While the calculator can’t predict the exact date on which any given Canadian will get a shot in the arm, Mah says it offers a “general guide.”

She notes each province will navigate each stage of vaccination slightly differently, and the calculator assumes all the doses Canad has announced will be delivered on time.

“It’s still vague, but as time goes on, we’re hoping that it can be more accurate and more precise. For now, we’ve got what we’ve got, and it’s still good to know.”