Vaccine Information for Physicians

Receiving all vaccine orders online helps streamline the ordering process, improving the efficiency and accuracy of processing vaccine orders in Halton.

Temperature logs are submitted electronically through the online order form. Public Health will only accept scanned PDFs or photos (jpg format) of temperature logs. Please note that the submission must be for one full month leading up to the order date.

Vaccine orders submitted after 4 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to a scheduled delivery date will be processed and delivered for the next scheduled bi-weekly delivery date.

Please note: If you’ve missed the delivery and will need the vaccines more urgently (e.g. high risk vaccines), please call 311 or email vaccinedepot@halton.ca.

We are requesting that health care providers transition to online vaccine ordering starting immediately. Orders will not be received by fax after November 30, 2020. If you need support in transitioning to online ordering, email vaccinedepot@halton.ca.

Public health measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in limited public access to services offered at the Halton Regional Centre - 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville. To ensure continued access to publicly funded vaccines, Halton Region Public Health is implementing a vaccine courier service to minimize the need for health care providers to pick up vaccines at the Halton Regional Centre.

If you have an existing arrangement with a courier service, you can continue to use it. However, if you wish to transition to Halton Region’s courier service, please contact the vaccine depot at vaccinedepot@halton.ca for more information or to be added to our courier schedule.

If you have been picking up your vaccine orders at Joseph Brant, Georgetown, or Milton District hospitals, this option will no longer be available after October 30, 2020, and your vaccine orders will be delivered directly to your office.

Each municipality will receive bi-weekly vaccine deliveries. Routine and/or special/high-risk vaccine orders must be ordered online by 4 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to scheduled delivery dates. A detailed schedule is posted at halton.ca/physicians.

• Burlington – starting Tuesday, November 3 (and then bi-weekly)
• Oakville – starting Wednesday, November 4 (and then bi-weekly)
• Milton – starting Tuesday, November 10 (and then bi-weekly)
• Halton Hills – starting Wednesday, November 11 (and then bi-weekly)

Vaccine orders submitted after 4 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to a scheduled delivery date will be processed and delivered for the next scheduled bi-weekly delivery date.

Please note: If the vaccines are required more urgently before the next scheduled delivery date (e.g. missed delivery or high risk vaccines), please call 311 or email vaccinedepot@halton.ca for options.

Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines (PDF file) require that health care providers storing publicly funded vaccines meet specific requirements, including appropriately monitored refrigeration and cold chain maintenance. If bi-weekly delivery of vaccine orders will cause issues related to appropriate storage and inventory practices, please contact vaccinedepot@halton.ca to discuss options.

If you are unable to receive your vaccine on the scheduled delivery date for your municipality, please email vaccinedepot@halton.ca for options.

Due to COVID-19 disruptions, Halton Region Public Health will be offering complementary vaccine deliveries until March 31, 2021 for influenza, routine and special/high-risk vaccine orders. In the future, the cost to continue to delivery vaccines will be reassessed.

Vaccines will be delivered on your scheduled delivery date listed on “Halton Region Public Health vaccine delivery schedule.” Vaccines will be delivered between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. by Critical Path Courier. We are unable to provide a specific time for each office as the courier plans their route based on the number of deliveries in the area and what the most efficient route is.

Please ensure there is a staff member to receive the vaccines between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. If there is no staff member present to receive the delivery, vaccines will be returned to Halton Regional Centre (HRC) and will be delivered again on your next scheduled bi-weekly delivery date. Pick-ups at HRC are not permitted at this time.

No. Couriers are not permitted to drop off vaccines to another office or house. Vaccines are only permitted to be dropped off to the office on the address label and stored in a Public Health approved and inspected fridge.

Eligibility criteria has been extended for select age groups that may have missed an opportunity to receive school-based vaccines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn who is currently eligible for school-based vaccines.

At this time, Public Health is unable to release school-based vaccines to physicians in bulk. All school-based vaccines released from Public Health are required to be associated with an eligible student. This information needs to be reported back to the Ministry of Health. In addition, Public Health must complete an immunization record assessment on the Provincial Immunization Database (Panorama) for each student prior to release of vaccines.

Released school-based vaccines are assigned to be administered only to the student it was approved for. There are situations where a student is no longer eligible, has received the vaccine elsewhere or has refused the vaccine. This school-based vaccine will have to be re-allocated within your practice.

If you have a student in your practice, whom you believe is eligible to receive a re-allocated school-based vaccine; Public Health (311) must be contacted first. Public Health will ensure a complete record and eligibility assessment is done and prior to re-allocating the vaccine.

This step must be done for all possible re-allocations as all school-based vaccines are required to be associated with an eligible student—this information is reported back to the Ministry of Health.

Similarly, when placing a new special order for school-based vaccines, please review your inventory first to determine if there is a dose available to be re-allocated. Public Health (311) must be contacted prior to administering dose.

As of April 1, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) is now publicly funded and may be routinely offered to pregnant people.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization strongly recommends Tdap vaccination during every pregnancy (external link), regardless of previous Tdap vaccination history to protect the infant from pertussis.

Infants less than 2 months of age are at the greatest risk of severe pertussis infection and hospitalization. Vaccination in pregnancy is safe and effective at preventing neonatal infection.

Immunization should ideally be offered at 27-32 weeks of gestation, which is supported by the strongest safety and effectiveness data. Immunization between 13 and 26 weeks of gestation may also be considered in some situations (for example, pregnancies with an increased risk of pre-term delivery).

Ontario has transitioned from the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq® (Rot-5) to the monovalent rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix® (Rot-1) in the infant rotavirus immunization program.

It is recommended that Rotarix® (Rot-1) be administered between 2 months to 15 weeks of age. If the first dose is administered after 15 weeks of age, the series should be completed with a minimum of four weeks between doses. All doses should be completed on or before 25 weeks of age.

If the second dose of Rotarix® (Rot-1) is unable to be completed on or before 25 weeks of age, the second dose can be administered up to 32 weeks of age. This extended eligibility interval will still be publicly funded, however this interval is not routinely recommended.

Timing of vaccine administration: Canadian Immunization Guide (external link).

As of September 2022, all students in grades 7 to end of grade 12 will be eligible for the publicly funded Hepatitis B vaccine.

*Individuals aged 16 years to less than 19 years require a 3-dose Hep B 0.5 mL (pediatric) immunization schedule as per the Canadian Immunization Guide (external link).

Individuals who have not completed the HB series prior to age 16 must follow Table 7: Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule (external PDF) recommended intervals for remaining doses using the HB pediatric (0.5 mL) formulation.

For those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, refer to the Guidance for Routine & Catch-up Immunization Services, Ministry of Health (external PDF) for information on extended eligibility.

HPV-9 vaccine eligibility starts in grade 7 and extends to the end of grade 12 for all students, regardless of gender, as per the updated Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule.

For those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, refer to the Guidance for Routine & Catch-up Immunization Services, Ministry of Health (external PDF) for information on extended eligibility.

*Individuals aged 15 years and older require a 3-dose HPV-9 immunization schedule as per the Canadian Immunization Guide (external link).

Currently, 65-70 year olds are able to receive publicly funded Shingrix®. Seniors born in 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1952 now remain eligible to complete the 2-dose series by December 31, 2023, as per the Guidance for Routine & Catch-up Immunization Services, Ministry of Health (external PDF).

Currently, males 9 to 26 years of age who meet the high-risk criteria (Table 3: Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule (external PDF)) are eligible for 2-3 doses of Gardasil 9®.

Males born in 1993, 1994, 1995, or 1996 now remain eligible to complete the 3-dose series by December 31, 2023, as per the Guidance for Routine & Catch-up Immunization Services, Ministry of Health (external PDF). Age of the impacted cohorts falls within the Health Canada product monograph age indications for product use.

Currently 2 months to 17 year olds who meet the high-risk criteria (Table 3: Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule (external PDF)) are eligible for 2-4 doses of Bexsero®.

Individuals born in 2002, 2003, 2004, or 2005 now remain eligible to complete the 2-dose series by December 31, 2023, as per the Guidance for Routine & Catch-up Immunization Services, Ministry of Health (external PDF). Age of the impacted cohorts falls within the Health Canada product monograph age indications for product use.

Currently, 9 months to 55 year olds who meet the high-risk criteria (Table 3: Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule (external PDF)) are eligible for 2-4 doses.

Individuals born in 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1967 now remain eligible to complete the 2-4 dose series by December 31, 2023, as per the Guidance for Routine & Catch-up Immunization Services, Ministry of Health (external PDF).

The province publicly funds a single lifetime dose of Men-C-ACYW135 for individual’s ≥56 years of age who meet high-risk eligibility criteria listed in Table 3: Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule (external PDF). These individuals may not be included in the age indication listed on the product monograph for the particular publicly funded vaccine. Therefore, administration of these vaccines is off-label and clinical judgment is advised.

Eligible physician practices must submit a completed Readiness Checklist (PDF file) and signed Memorandum of Understanding (PDF file) to pharmacists@halton.ca to enroll in the COVID-19 vaccine program.

Note:

• If practicing in association, in a cost sharing arrangement or as individuals, all physicians must sign the MOU.
• If practicing through a corporation or partnership, one physician can sign the MOU on behalf of the corporation or partnership.

The Health Department will contact your practice directly to confirm eligibility and proceed with the onboarding process.

All staff who will be using COVax must complete COVaxON OntarioMD Training for Primary Care Practices (external link).

All staff who will be involved with COVID-19 vaccine at the physician practice must attend Halton Region’s COVID-19 Vaccine Online Onboarding Session.

• 1 hour sessions will be offered over zoom on various dates and times. The first session will be held on Tuesday October 26th, 5 - 6 p.m.
• For upcoming session dates and times, please email pharmacists@halton.ca.

Once all required clinic staff have completed the OntarioMD COVax training and Halton Online Onboarding session, the Health Department will proceed with setting up COVax accounts and provide all necessary resources.

Physician practices will be notified by the Health Department when they can begin ordering COVID-19 vaccine. Orders for COVID-19 vaccine must be submitted online using the Vaccine Order Form.

• COVID-19 vaccines are delivered to primary care on Thursdays.
• Orders must be submitted by 4:00pm on Friday to receive vaccine the following Thursday.
• A minimum of one week (5 consecutive days) of vaccine fridge temps must be submitted with the vaccine order.

Note: COVID-19 vaccines cannot be ordered until Steps 1-4 have been completed.