Some Ottawans skipping local COVID-19 vaccine bottleneck by visiting clinics in other towns

By Eric O'Brien

As COVID-19 vaccine supply continues to fall short of the demand in Ottawa, and frustration mounts among residents trying to book appointments, some believe they've found an alternate solution.

“My Husband and I are scheduled for Friday, but we're going to Kingston, we don't have a problem with the driving part” says Sherryl, a caller on CityNews' The Rob Snow Show, Tuesday, June 15. 

Some residents say it's been easy to find appointments in other health unit regions, but not everyone is willing to make a long drive to get vaccinated.

“There's nothing in Ottawa: west-end, Kanata, Nepean, there was nothing at all,” says Laura, a caller from Bells Corners. “Cornwall and Alexandria were the only two options I had, but I'll keep trying though. Hopefully in another week, I can move a bit closer to Ottawa.”

Others simply don't even have the option of taking a trip out of town.

“I'm sticking to Ottawa, because I have a daughter in the hospital and I need to be in there every day to see her and I can't be driving all over eastern Ontario to get a vaccine,” says Darryl, another caller on The Rob Snow Show. 

According to Ottawa Public Health, booking vaccine appointments in neighbouring public health unit is a matter of personal choice and availability of vaccine.

The callers into CityNews Ottawa are only a few cases among thousands of people trying to book vaccines in Ottawa at the moment. By many other accounts, the key to getting a vaccine appointment quickly seems to be luck.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today