Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Health Care Providers

September 28, 2021

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

In this Issue:

1. Publicly Funded Influenza Vaccines for Ontario this Season
2. Vaccine Utilization Reporting Requirements
3. Influenza Vaccine Ordering / Pick-Up & Delivery
4. COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery by Primary Care Providers

News & Updates

Publicly Funded Influenza Vaccines for Ontario this Season

Dear Health Care Professional:

This memorandum is to provide you with the current information regarding the 2021-22 Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP).

While this memo focuses on influenza vaccine, it remains extremely important to reiterate with patients that they should complete their COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible. As a reminder, individuals cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccine if they have received another vaccine within the past 14 days. This may impact the timing of flu vaccinations for your patients.

The support of primary care providers in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations is critical moving forward. See more information below on onboarding your practice to offer COVID-19 vaccinations.

It is recommended that all individuals ages 6 months or older who live, work or attend school in Ontario receive the influenza vaccine. *High-risk groups should be immunized first.

*Individuals at high risk of influenza-related complications or who are more likely to require hospitalization:

• All pregnant women
• People who are residents of nursing homes or other chronic care facilities
• People ≥ 65 years of age
• All children 6 to 59 months of age
• Indigenous peoples
• Adults or children 6 months of age and over with chronic health conditions as follows:
  • Cardiac or pulmonary disorders
  • Diabetes mellitus or other metabolic disease
  • Cancer
  • Conditions or medication which compromise the immune system (due to underlying disease, therapy or both
  • Renal disease
  • Anemia or hemoglobinopathy
  • Neurologic or neurodevelopment conditions
  • Morbid obesity (body mass index of ≥ 40)
• Children and adolescents (6 months to 18 years) undergoing treatment with acetylsalicylic acid for long periods

We highly recommend you review the implementation materials posted on The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (the Ministry) website, which includes program details, vaccine information, reporting requirements, fact sheets and other resources.

Influenza Virus Strains covered by the 2021/22 Influenza Vaccine:

• A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
• A/Cambodia/e0826360/2020 (H3N2)-like virus
• A/Wisconsin/588/2019 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
• B/Washington/02/2019-like strain
  [B/Victoria lineage) – like virus]
• B/Phuket/3073/2013-like strain
  [B/Yamagata lineage) – like virus]

Products Available for 2021/22:

** Please refer to the Product Monograph for additional information

*According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), egg-allergic individuals may be vaccinated against influenza using the full dose of any appropriate product, including QIV, and high-dose QIV. Note: Flucelvax QIV does NOT contain egg protein.

Important Notes:

• Please ensure there is a 28 day interval since the clients last COVID vaccine
• Fluzone® Quadrivalent and Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent are different products. Fluzone® High-Dose is only authorized for those 65 years of age and over. Please use caution when administering Fluzone® products to ensure that the right vaccine is being administered to the right person.
• Fluzone® High-Dose QIV and Fluad: Long Term Care & Ret Homes and QHC will be prioritized. Remaining supply will be equitably distributed to health care providers.

Vaccine Utilization Reporting Requirements

For the 2021/22 UIIP season, the ministry no longer requires vaccine utilization reports from facilities that participate in the UIIP.

Reimbursement submission requirements for eligible organizations holding public influenza vaccine clinics still apply. Please see the Reimbursement for administration section for more information.

Pharmacies that administer influenza vaccine to individuals without an OHIP card must complete a Universal Influenza Immunization Program Pharmacy Form for these doses for vaccine administration tracking purposes.

Ordering Information

Participating Pharmacies with Trained Pharmacists:

• You will order and receive flu vaccine through your distributor.

Change from last year:

• You must submit four weeks of fridge temperature logs to HPEPH the 1st and the 15th of each month, starting October 1st (fax to 613-966-1813 or email to CDCFax1@hpeph.ca).
• If you know of a planned power outage or if your fridge goes below 2 degrees Celsius or above 8 degrees Celsius, please contact HPEPH at 613-966-5500 ext.222.
• Failure to submit temperature logs will result in the suspension of vaccine ordering until the temperature log is received.

*** Vaccine orders placed prior to November 1st will be available at regular vaccine pick-up location as per schedule above.

• Use this year’s Influenza Vaccine Order Form included with this letter. Do NOT use our Vaccine/STI Medication Order Form. A link to the form is also provided at www.ontario.ca/influenza or go to www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca and search for flu vaccine order form.
• All orders to be faxed to 613-966-1813, along with four weeks of fridge temperature logs.
• Ensure you have 1-inch 3ml needle/syringe combos on hand, as well as 1-inch needle tips as vaccine provided will be multi-dose vials and prefilled syringe.

Pick-up/delivery

• Belleville Clients – orders after November 1st will be available at our Belleville office (must have 3 business days between order and pickup) **see above schedule for prior pick up times**
• Trenton Clients – pick up your orders at our Trenton offices after November 1^st (must have 3 business days between order and pickup)
• Centre Hastings Clients – influenza orders will be delivered to your office (October 6^th, 22^nd, November 5^th and November 19^th)
• Bancroft Clients – influenza orders will be available for pick up at Public Health office (October 7^th, 25^th, November 8^th and November 22^nd)
• Prince Edward County – your influenza orders will be available for pick up at Public Health office (October 7^th, October 21^st, November 4^th and November 18^th)

For more information, call our Vaccine Information Line at 613 966-5500 x222

COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery by Primary Care Providers

We encourage our primary care partners to consider onboarding to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in their practice.

The support of primary care providers is critical to ensure the long term delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the community. Local health care providers interested in onboarding to begin COVID-19 vaccine administration can indicate interest by:

1. Reviewing and completing the COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness Checklist.
2. Submitting the completed checklist, indicating interest in administering COVID-19 vaccinations, to VPDCalendar@hpeph.ca.
3. Completing HPEPH’s vaccine order form (once authorized as a COVID-19 vaccination site) as needed to support vaccine delivery in the practice setting.

HPEPH recognizes that practices may face challenges in administering all doses in to a multi-dose vial within the specified timeframe. To maximize utilization of multidose vials and eliminate wastage, HPE supports the use of multidose vials of COVID 19 vaccine to be shared amongst primary care providers within the same location (ie. shared office, shared building).

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

You have received this email at from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, please note that this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about infectious and communicable disease.