20 Hamilton pharmacies will start offering AstraZeneca vaccine to ages 55 and over

Twenty pharmacies in Hamilton are being added to the province's pilot project allowing them to offer doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 55 and over.

And the vaccine is being offered in more pharmacies in Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk and Niagara as well.

The additions include multiple Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, Costco, and Walmart stores, as well as some local pharmacies.

They're located across the city, includingAncaster, Dundas, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Binbrookand Hannon.

The pharmacies were included on a list of around 380 more places that will be added to the program. A provincial media release says some locations will start offering the vaccine as early as Saturday.

The vaccines are available by appointment only.

Some Hamilton doctors also started to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month at locations chosen by Hamilton Family Medicine partners. The city said they were located whereresidents have been identified as being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

When it first launched, the pharmacypilot included 325 locations in Toronto, Windsor-Essex and Kingston, Frontenacand LennoxandAddington. While it wasinitially forpeople aged aged 60 and over, that age range was dropped with the expansion announcement on Thursday.

The province says it expects the number of pharmacies in the program to reach 1,500 by the end of April.

To book an appointment with a participating pharmacy, you must be 55 years or older in 2021 and have a valid Ontario health card or other form of valid government-issued identification.

Here are the Hamilton pharmacies that will be included with the expansion:

• Costco Pharmacy at 100 Legend Court, Ancaster.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 133 King St. W., Dundas.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at SS4-255 Dundas St. E., Waterdown.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 1300 Garth St., Hamilton.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 47 Wilson St. W., Ancaster.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 75 Centennial Parkway N., Hamilton.
• Costco Pharmacy at 1330 South Service Road, Stoney Creek.
• Rexall at 930 Upper Paradise Road 13, Hamilton.
• Rexall at 1119 Fennell Ave., Hamilton.
• Rexall at 1395 Upper Ottawa St., Hamilton.
• Supercare Pharmacy at 410 Highway 8, Stoney Creek.
• Wal-Mart Pharmacy at 500 Centennial Parkway N., Stoney Creek.
• Rexall at 21-640 Mohawk Road W., Hamilton.
• Rexall at 60 Hatt St., Dundas.
• Waterdown Pharmacy at 4-145 Hamilton Sr. N. Waterdown.
• Wal-Mart Pharmacy at 499 Mohawk Road E., Hamilton.
• Westmount Pharmacy at200-723 Rymal Road W., Hamilton.
• Rexall at 505 Rymal Road E., Hamilton.
• Binbrook Pharmacy at 3011 Highway 56, Binbrook.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 2110 Rymal Road E., Hannon.