The hunt for a Covid 19 3rd Booster shot

[Starwind]

For those who are interested:

We bought the (green box) BTNX "RAPID COVID-19 ANTIGEN TEST KIT"s from The Canadian Shield: https://www.canadianshieldppe.ca/

Another reliable Canadian source is Rapid Test & Trace: https://rapidtestandtrace.ca/shop/

Both companies have recently had local and national media articles about them if you search for the name of the company and want to learn more about them. I learned of their existence through the media reporting.

I'll warn you up front that the cost is not cheap. You can't buy single tests, minimum is a box of 5 tests. I believe both companies are currently sold out/on backorder, but check their websites.

These are tests you do at home yourself. They are NOT valid for travel. If you test positive, it is apparently considered "presumptive", but is supposed to be confirmed through a PCR test.

If you got one of the BTNX test kits for free via your child's school or the provincial free distribution, the Canadian Shield site has some EXCELLENT instructional info on how to use it -- including PDFs of the little (small print for these eyes!!) instruction card that came with it that you can therefore blow up big !! And VIDEO with step by step instructions ! It is part of the info package you have to attest that you have read and agree to before you purchase from them. I found it quite helpful.

SW

 

[bababear_50]

I think we need to add to this The Hunt for Covid-19 tests for symptomatic and/or high risk contacts!!! Our health unit is a royal poop show for both getting jabbed and brain poked with wait lists to get an appointment to get tested now appearing. Our daughter is currently waiting up to 48 hours to hear back about when she'll be able to BOOK a test never mind actually have it!

Praying you get a call soon,,, being a mom during these times is god awful hard. sorry just saying.
Hugs to you Hon
Mel

 

[pigletto]

Thank

Ah sweetie I am so so sorry.
I know how much you were looking forward to your family getting together.
My heart is broken for you.
Fingers crossed (and toes) that you can get a test for your son ASAP and that he doesn't have it.
Did your schools send home the Rapid tests? I made my granddaughter take one last Sat.

I am making everyone take one this Sat before we all share Christmas breakfast. (only 4 of us)
Big family get together will be via Zoom Christmas Eve.
Wishing you good thoughts and well wishes. Better days ahead Hon.
Hugs
Mel

Edited to add : just a suggestion
if you can I would go positive (NO not Covid positive) but attitude positive and try to waitlist any pharmacy you can.




This is where we bought the tests from,, they are all out right now but hoping to get them in in Jan
https://www.levitt-safety.com/products-category/covid-tests/

Thanks Mel . He did bring the five tests home from school today and he tested negative. I did put him on some wait lists and there are lots of pharmacies that were closed that I can call in the morning too. This definitely threw me for a loop this evening but we won’t stay down long.

 

[mommasita]

I think we need to add to this The Hunt for Covid-19 tests for symptomatic and/or high risk contacts!!! Our health unit is a royal poop show for both getting jabbed and brain poked with wait lists to get an appointment to get tested now appearing. Our daughter is currently waiting up to 48 hours to hear back about when she'll be able to BOOK a test never mind actually have it!

Thinking of your daughter. So ridiculous it’s nuts.
I hope she feels ok in the meantime

 

[mommasita]

Niagara has no supply so there were very few appointments to be had. I’ll wait until we are shipped some more vaccine before trying again.
We got the dreaded “close contact positive” email from ds17’s school tonight so he’s now in isolation for 10 days. The soonest PCR I can book for him in our health unit is December 27th.

So cancelled Disney trip .. check. Isolating on Christmas and can’t see family.. check. Losing a weeks pay because my clients can’t come into my home .. check . Booster impossible to book never mind get .. check.

I am so over this pandemic I can’t even tell you.

i am so sorry. Again, this wait time is ridiculous.
I hope your son is ok, and feels ok while waits.

 

[22Tink]

I'm in BC, late 40's, got my 2nd shot in June, got my text for the booster exactly 6 months after that, booked my booster for Dec. 27th. All in all, a really painless process!

I'm so to hear this! I'm also later 40s, and Dec 22 will be 6 months for me. Fingers crossed I get my text!!

 

[22Tink]

BC resident here, mid 40's. No hope of DH and I getting our boosters til March 2022 at the rate BC is going

I feel the same way! So frustrating!

 

[lisaviolet]

Toronto. Boostered last Thursday. Pfizer. Mass vaccination clinic.

Some hints for those in Ontario and in case you found your previous shots off the main Ontario site -

*refresh refresh refresh

* push refresh over and over on the last page on the provincial site until you see something - the last page refreshes without having to input again if you do it in time

*grab whatever looks okay because you can continue looking for better locations and times - in case anyone does not know it cancels your prior appointment for you on the Ontario site. So no jeopardy to others to grab

*both my finds were cancellations that jumped back in during a refresh (I had to cancel the first due to a death in the family)

*do not get focused on a location having a late date. in case some do not know every location has multiple blocks of dates. And an earlier block of dates for the same location can be further down the page

*biggest hint - press the additional locations tab every single time you are scanning. Often an earlier block of times jump on during that extension - even when the location is on the first page with later dates. It is not always further out locations with that tab.

*don't forget to check your region for alternate clinics that are not on the Ontario site

*many surrounding towns have more accessible walk-ins at pharmacies. And do not judge walk-in times waiting. I had an appointment in Toronto and it still was an hour a half to get the shot (first and second were seven minutes to get the shot)


Good luck everyone.

 

[lisaviolet]

I have a positive booster story. I know of someone who is young but has a serious underlying condition. So she was boostered early, with the over 70 crowd in Ontario.

Unfortunately her children got Covid from school (are doing fine). Her husband was then tested and was positive for Covid (is doing fine and was double vaccinated).

She has been tested multiple times and does not have Covid.

 

[samsteele]

Have my booster booked at a local pharmacy for the end of this month. Happy to just have an appointment as pharmacies have been our only real option and lifeline here. Hopefully, their supply of Pfizer will hold steady throughout the holidays. ps no test kits available at all outside of Kingston. But def understand why Kingston has been the priority over the past week.

 

[star72232]

I got my booster 2 weeks ago (HCW) at my Nurse Practitioners office. Don’t forget your doctor’s office might be doing them.
I was able to get DH a 3rd dose appointment at a mass clinic on Jan 5, and I moved my younger boys 2nd doses up 10 days (Jan 22 to Jan 12).
I’m in Waterloo region (appointments are all in Cambridge).

 

[damo]

Lots of Walmarts in Ontario are doing walk-ins.

 

[juniorbugman]

Also try staying up past midnight and checking for appointments then. My health unit only goes 14 days ahead so I logged on at 12:00am and was able to book my nephew a Jan 11th appointment in Scarborough. The entire day of appointments were gone within a half hour I had also tried in Durham and I put him on a Costco waitlist. He got an appointment in Oshawa for Jan 20th so I will cancel that one today.

 

[wdwmom3]

I kind of blame how the provincial government handled this. They announce it’s all of a sudden open to everyone 18+ and push everyone to go right away. This was also done with little warning.

I have a friend who volunteers at a clinic. She was telling me the biggest problem is not supply but manpower. Clinics had scaled back drastically in the fall because there was little demand. Now they don’t have the people to scale back up like last spring. It will take some time for them to do that. It just can’t happen over night. And the people working those clinics are getting burnt out.

They should have opened it up more gradually like they did for first and second shots. Then it would be easier for people to get an appointment

 

[bababear_50]

They announce it’s all of a sudden open to everyone 18+ and push everyone to go right away. This was also done with little warning.

I have a friend who volunteers at a clinic. She was telling me the biggest problem is not supply but manpower. Clinics had scaled back drastically in the fall because there was little demand. Now they don’t have the people to scale back up like last spring. It will take some time for them to do that. It just can’t happen over night. And the people working those clinics are getting burnt out.

They should have opened it up more gradually like they did for first and second shots. Then it would be easier for people to get an appointment

Hi Hon

Yes they do have to scale things up and it will take a bit of time. We can all help by doing our best to be patient and respectful of those giving us the shots.
The difference now is that this variant is a very fast spreading ,,way faster than Delta and therefore there is an urgency to Boost as many people as they can.
Each province can ask for help to meet certain needs,,, we just need to convince the powers that be to ASK.

Hugs
Mel

 

[bababear_50]

Lots of Walmarts in Ontario are doing walk-ins.

Hi Hon
I have been looking but can't seem to find it,,, do you know which type if vaccine Walmart is doing?
I'm looking for Moderna for one of my sons. (Asthma).
Thanks
Hugs
Mel

 

[Starwind]

I got my booster 2 weeks ago (HCW) at my Nurse Practitioners office. Don’t forget your doctor’s office might be doing them.
I was able to get DH a 3rd dose appointment at a mass clinic on Jan 5, and I moved my younger boys 2nd doses up 10 days (Jan 22 to Jan 12).
I’m in Waterloo region (appointments are all in Cambridge).

My elderly parents were able to get their boosters through their family doctor's office in early December.

Definitely worth checking if one's family MD is doing boosters. Note in some cases if they are they may be limiting to vulnerable populations such as elderly and high risk medical conditions.

SW

 

[Dynamoliz]

I have a positive booster story. I know of someone who is young but has a serious underlying condition. So she was boostered early, with the over 70 crowd in Ontario.

Unfortunately her children got Covid from school (are doing fine). Her husband was then tested and was positive for Covid (is doing fine and was double vaccinated).

She has been tested multiple times and does not have Covid.

Thanks for this! We all need to hear positive stories! I am immunocompromised and triple vaxxed and I do feel a bit like a sitting duck.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

We're so fortunate to be living here in Atlantic Canada !!! We lined up for some rapid test kits yesterday afternoon and received ours after only a 20 minute wait in line. In addition, DW had a 3rd dose of Moderna scheduled for Dec 30th (2 week wait after being scheduled), but after reading on social media that others were just showing up without appointments at the local injection site, she was able to get her 3rd dose yesterday without issue. Nurses there said multiple people were showing up ............... and they were not sending them away.....lots of availability to go around !!

 

[hdrolfe]

I do think the difference between this and the first doses is that there is plenty of vaccine now, it's just the people (as mentioned up above) also poor timing, a lot of places (my clinic is one) that shut down quite a bit over the two week of holidays. I am glad that once again people do seem to be lining up to get the shots though!