June 4, 2021 – St. John’s, NL: Eastern Health is now offering earlier appointments for COVID-19 second dose vaccines. These appointments are based on when first doses were administered to assist with the province’s reopening plan. Starting today through a phased-in approach, those who are due for their second dose will be able to move their appointment up to within eight weeks of their first dose. Individuals can choose to keep their original appointment if they prefer.
The phased-in approach to rebooking will start with those who were first immunized and notices will continue over the following weeks in order of first dose appointments. This will continue until all requested appointments for second doses have been rescheduled. Please note that not all sites will be able to offer second dose appointments at this time. As well, if a second dose appointment is no longer available in the community/clinic of choice, more clinics will be available in the future. People should continue to check the website as clinics are continuously being added.
The criteria for changing a previously booked appointment for a second dose COVID-19 vaccine appointment are as follows:
- Individuals who received their first dose of vaccine between March 2 and March 25 and who were given second dose appointments between July 1 and July 15 will keep their current second dose appointment unless they have a reason to reschedule.
- Individuals who received their first dose of vaccine between March 26 and April 15 and who were given second dose appointments between July 16 to August 5 are now eligible to change their second dose appointment to an earlier date.
- Individuals who received their vaccine from April 15 onward are not eligible to change their appointment at this time. Information about the next phase will be communicated once the clinic dates have been finalized.
- Individuals who received their first dose outside the province prior to and including April 15 are now eligible to book their second dose appointment. Individuals immunized after April 15 will be notified when they can book their appointments.
The criteria for those who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca or CoviShield are as follows:
- Individuals who received a first dose of AstraZeneca or CoviShield between March 2 and April 15 and who would like to receive an mRNA vaccine for their second dose are eligible to book an appointment for a Pfizer or Moderna clinic at one of the Eastern Health mass clinics.
- Individuals who received a first dose of AstraZeneca or CoviShield between March 2 and April 15 and who would like to receive a second dose of AstraZeneca or CoviShield, will be provided information once the clinic locations are finalized.
Rotational workers who are travelling for work before their scheduled second dose can rebook their second dose appointment. It is recommended they wait 8 weeks between doses.
Individuals will need to know what type of COVID-19 vaccine they received for their first dose. This information is located on the After Care sheet provided at vaccine clinics. For those who are unsure which vaccine they received, please call Eastern Health at 1-800-563-3692.
Also, please note that participating pharmacies and physicians’ clinics are offering first dose appointments of the Moderna vaccine. Additional information on the availability of vaccines from pharmacies and physicians will be communicated in the coming days.
If you are eligible and would like to change your second dose appointment, please follow the process below:
- click the following link or copy and paste the link into the address bar of an internet browser (Google Chrome is the preferred browser) https://portal.healthmyself.net/nleasternhealth/forms/DEa and complete the eligibility questionnaire and consent. If you experience issues accessing/loading the site, please open Google Chrome and clear your web browsing cache by clicking Ctrl+F5.
- select your preferred location and follow directions.
- individuals experiencing difficultly booking their appointment online are advised to contact 1-833-951-3884 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
To book an appointment at one of the available clinics throughout the Eastern Health region, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/vaccine/gettheshot/. The public is reminded that they should not schedule an appointment for a vaccine if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Instead, complete a COVID-19 Assessment and referral by clicking here.
Clinic locations throughout the region can be found on Eastern Health’s website at www.easternhealth.ca/covid19vaccine.
In keeping with public health guidance to reduce the number of contacts wherever possible, patients are asked to carefully consider the necessity of an attendee when visiting these areas. For more information, please visit the “Visitation and Support Persons” webpage via www.easternhealth.ca/covid19.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, please visit Health Canada or the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s vaccine information sheet found at https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/vaccine/files/COVID-19-Vaccine-Information-Sheet-May-3.pdf.
For up-to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.
-30-