Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Health Care Providers

September 10, 2021

From:
Dr. Piotr Oglaza
Medical Officer of Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

In this Issue:

  1. Revision to the HPEPH Vaccine & STI Order Form (BIO-3)
  2. Youth Born in 2009 Eligible for the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine
  3. Third Doses of COVID-19 Now Available for Severely Immunocompromised Populations and Elderly in High-risk Congregate Settings
  4. HCP Patient Referral for Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
  5. COVID-19 Immunization Records for Out of Ontario Vaccination
  6. Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for High Risk Settings
  7. Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Entry into Select Settings
  8. Medical Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccination
  9. Resources for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy
  10. New and Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

News & Updates

Revision to the HPEPH Vaccine & STI Order Form (BIO-3)

HPEPH has updated the order form for Vaccines and STI Medications. Please be advised that in addition to our online ordering form, orders can also be faxed to us by using our Vaccine_STI Order Form BIO-3, which has been revised. Please discontinue using the previous order form and download the new one here.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine News & Updates

Youth Born in 2009 Eligible for the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine

As of August 18, 2021, all individuals born in 2009 or later can receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Ontario has extended the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine eligibility to all youth turning 12 years old in 2021. Previously, COVID-19 vaccination was limited to individuals on or after their 12th birthday.

Updated guidance documents for youth vaccine information:

Third Doses of COVID-19 Now Available for Severely Immunocompromised Populations and Elderly in High-Risk Congregate Settings

As an extra layer of protection against the Delta variant third doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine will be offered for the following highest risk groups as designated by the Ministry of Health.

HCP Patient Referral for Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

A COVID-19 Vaccine 3rd Dose Patient Referral Form can be completed and sent to HPEPH ONLY when vaccination administration is unable to be completed intra-organizationally by Physician or Specialty Program responsible for eligible patient care.

The following process flow is recommended for patient’s eligible for their dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 Immunization Records for Out of Ontario Vaccination

Residents of HPE who received one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine outside of Ontario can submit their immunization record to HPEPH for documentation in the Ontario Ministry of Health's COVID vaccine management system. Please direct applicable patients to the HPEPH website to report their out of province COVID-19 immunizations.

 

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for High Risk Settings

The Ministry of Health mandated all high risk settings including, hospitals, home and community service providers, to have a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy in place no later than September 7, 2021 under Directive #6. At a minimum, this policy will require individuals to provide proof of one of three things:

  • full vaccination against COVID-19;
  • a medical reason for not being vaccinated against COVID-19; or
  • completion of a COVID-19 vaccination educational session.

Individuals who do not provide evidence of full vaccination will be required to undertake regular rapid antigen testing. A resource guide was released by the Ministry of Health to aid high-risk settings in developing and implementing a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

 

Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Entry into Select Settings

As of September 22, 2021, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination* by paper or PDF receipt as received at their vaccination appointment will be required to enter certain public settings in Ontario. The announcement of the vaccine certificate program by the Ontario government does note an exception for children who are 11 years of age and younger and recognized medical exemptions.

Patients requesting proof of vaccination can be directed to download a copy from the provincial portal.

*An individual is considered to be fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving their 2nd dose of vaccine.

 

Medical Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccination

There are few acceptable medical exemptions to the COVID-19 Vaccine. Examples of valid exemptions may include an allergist/immunologist confirmed severe allergy to the COVID-19 vaccine or its components that cannot be mitigated, or a diagnosed episode of myocarditis/pericarditis after receipt of an mRNA vaccine.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) Registrar has released a memo on medical exemptions that states that a proof of medical exemption must clearly specify:

  • The reason the individual cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • The effective time limit for the medical exemption (i.e. permanent or time-limited).

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) also developed a toolkit for HCP on vaccine medical exemptions.

 

COVID-19 Resources & Guidance Document Updates

Resources for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy

For Healthcare Providers:

  • Toolkit of evidence based responses for common patient concerns about vaccines from the Centre for Effective Practice.
  • Interactive tool for addressing specific patient concerns, developed by the University of Calgary.
  • Learning module about the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine hesitancy from the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.

For members of the OMA (log-in required):

Talking to patients about vaccines is a billable activity, more information available on the OMA COVID-19 Vaccine Billing Summary.

 

New and Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

HPEPH is offering services by appointment only. We remain dedicated to protecting our community by providing local HCPs and community members with new information as it becomes available. Current information on COVID-19 specifically for health care providers can be found at hpePublicHealth.ca, Ontario Ministry of Health and at publichealthontario.ca.

Back to Summary

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments: hart.sara@hpeph.ca

To report communicable diseases:613-966-5500 x349

To report AEFI or DOPHS: Online / Fax: 613-966-1813 or CDCFAX1@hpeph.ca

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