Vaccine Order Update: January 4, 2023
Changes to Halton Region Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Ordering
- In early 2023, Halton Region Public Health will be harmonizing your COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Schedule with your existing Publicly Funded Vaccine Ordering and Delivery Schedule.
- Your COVID-19 vaccine ordering and delivery schedule will transition from the existing weekly schedule to the new biweekly schedule in late January 2023.
- The last COVID-19 weekly delivery date will be Thursday, January 26, 2023 with order cut-off being Friday, January 20, 2023 at 4 p.m. After this date, please refer to the order deadline and delivery date for your municipality as outlined in the Vaccine Distribution schedule.
- The Vaccine Storage and Handling webpage has information on vaccine storage and handling practices for health care providers in Halton region who are storing publicly funded vaccine. Please visit the new webpage for more details and resources.
Ordering Vaccines
Use the vaccine order form to request routine, school-based, high-risk and COVID-19 vaccines. Four weeks of recorded temperatures up until order submission date must be submitted with all orders.
Manual entry of temperature logs on the online vaccine ordering page is no longer accepted. Halton Region Public Health will only accept scanned PDFs or photos (.jpg format) of temperature logs. Vaccine pick-ups at Halton Regional Centre (HRC) are currently not available. More information will be provided when vaccine pick-ups resume.
Frequently asked questions on ordering vaccines
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 have missed the delivery and will need the vaccines more urgently (e.g. high risk vaccines, post exposure prophylaxis), please call 311 or email accesshalton@halton.ca.
Vaccine Distribution
March 2023 – June 2023 Vaccine Delivery Schedule
North Halton Delivery Schedule for Routine, School-based, COVID-19 and High Risk Vaccines
Order by Wednesday before 4 p.m. |
Milton
Tuesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
Halton Hills
Wednesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
March 8, 2023 |
March 14, 2023 |
March 15, 2023 |
March 22, 2023 |
March 28, 2023 |
March 29, 2023 |
April 5, 2023 |
April 11, 2023 |
April 12, 2023 |
April 19, 2023 |
April 25, 2023 |
April 26, 2023 |
May 3, 2023 |
May 9, 2023 |
May 10, 2023 |
May 17, 2023 |
May 23, 2023 |
May 24, 2023 |
May 31, 2023 |
June 6, 2023 |
June 7, 2023 |
June 14, 2023 |
June 20, 2023 |
June 21, 2023 |
Next delivery schedule will be released mid-June 2023.
South Halton Delivery Schedule for Routine, School-based, COVID-19 and High Risk Vaccines
Order by Wednesday before 4 p.m. |
Burlington
Tuesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
Oakville
Wednesday delivery
Between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
March 1, 2023 |
March 7, 2023 |
March 8, 2023 |
March 15, 2023 |
March 21, 2023 |
March 22, 2023 |
March 29, 2023 |
April 4, 2023 |
April 5, 2023 |
April 12, 2023 |
April 18, 2023 |
April 19, 2023 |
April 26, 2023 |
May 2, 2023 |
May 3, 2023 |
May 10, 2023 |
May 16, 2023 |
May 17, 2023 |
May 24, 2023 |
May 30, 2023 |
May 31, 2023 |
June 7, 2023 |
June 13, 2023 |
June, 2023 |
Next delivery schedule will be released mid-June 2023.
Vaccine Delivery
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 vaccines are needed urgently (e.g. high risk vaccines, post exposure prophylaxis), please call 311 or email accesshalton@halton.ca.
Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines (external PDF) 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 accesshalton@halton.ca to discuss options.
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.
Vaccine orders that are unable to be delivered on the scheduled delivery date will be returned to Halton Regional Centre and will be sent on your next scheduled delivery date. If you need to cancel your scheduled vaccine delivery, please call 311 or email accesshalton@halton.ca for options.
Vaccine Courier
Halton Region is currently using a vaccine courier service as a temporary measure to reduce traffic at Halton Regional Centre (HRC) during construction. As construction is completed at HRC, healthcare providers can either choose to continue receiving vaccines couriered to their offices for a nominal fee, or pick up vaccines at HRC at 1151 Bronte Road in Oakville during specific days and times.
Halton Region Public Health will continue to pay for all vaccine deliveries until construction at the Halton Regional Centre is complete and the Vaccine Depot is able to offer vaccine pick-up options again.
Using a courier to receive vaccines is a convenient option for many healthcare professionals that saves staff time and expenses while protecting the integrity of the vaccines and the cold chain process. Critical Path (the vaccine courier service) uses temperature controlled vans, which helps to ensure that cold chain is maintained during transportation. Many clinics prefer couriered vaccines due to staff time and the associated costs of pick up.
Using a courier to receive vaccines is a convenient option for many healthcare professionals that saves staff time and expenses while protecting the integrity of the vaccines and the cold chain process. Critical Path (the vaccine courier service) uses temperature controlled vans, which helps to ensure that cold chain is maintained during transportation. Many clinics prefer couriered vaccines due to staff time and the associated costs of pick up.
The cost to use the vaccine courier is approximately $35 per delivery. All facilities in Halton are charged the same rate.
Public Health will continue to pay for the flu auto shipments, which are made at the beginning of the flu season, while clinics will pay for the delivery of vaccines they order.
Facilities that would like to continue receiving their vaccines through Critical Path will need to complete an Account Activation Form (PDF file) and send to ar@criticalpath.ca. You will be asked to provide credit card information for billing. If there is information on the Account Activation Form that you would prefer to provide over the phone rather than email (e.g. credit card information), please write “call for information” in the form field. Critical Path will contact you to collect this information over the phone.
If you have questions about the Account Activation form or the account set up process, please contact Critical Path at ar@criticalpath.ca or 905-212- 8333.
Only facilities that have an account with a courier service will be able to select courier as an option from the Online Vaccine Ordering form.
If you have an existing arrangement with a courier service, you can continue to use it or you can transition to Halton Region’s courier service by establishing an account with Critical Path (PDF file).
Halton Region Public Health is strongly encouraging offices to use Critical Path for vaccine deliveries because vaccines are transported in temperature controlled vehicles. This helps to ensure that vaccines are safe and that proper cold chain is maintained during transport.
Each holding point code must order vaccines for their own facility. To avoid cold chain issues and to preserve the integrity of the vaccines, each holding point code is able to order enough vaccine for their individual clinic to last approximately one month. Ordering more than a one-month supply of vaccine can contribute to vaccine wastage in the case of power disruptions.
If your office has an account with a vaccine courier, when you place your vaccine order you will have the option to choose whether you would like to pick up your vaccine order at 1151 Bronte Road or have it delivered to your office by the vaccine courier. If you would like your order delivered by vaccine courier, you should select this from the online ordering form and your order will be delivered on your scheduled delivery day. If you would prefer to pick-up your order, you will need to select this option on the online ordering system and select a pick-up time.
Vaccine Pick-up
Halton Region Public Health is not currently offering vaccine pickups due to construction at the Halton Regional Building in Oakville. Vaccine pickups will resume when construction is complete.
An exact date for when vaccine pickups will resume will be communicated to health care providers once construction is closer to completion.
When vaccine pickups resume, healthcare providers will be able to choose to pick up vaccines at 1151 Bronte Road in Oakville during specific days and times. Offices that would like to pick up their vaccine order must indicate this when placing their vaccine order.
When vaccine pickups resume, vaccine deliveries will no longer be paid for by Halton Region Public Health. Offices that do not have an account with a vaccine courier will be required to pick up their vaccine orders.
Offices that choose to pick up vaccines from 1151 Bronte Road will need to choose an appointment window. Vaccine pickups without an appointment or outside of these pre-determined pick-up times will not be permitted.
The option to pick up vaccine at Joseph Brant, Georgetown, or Milton District hospitals, is no longer available. Vaccines must be picked up from the Halton Regional Centre at 1151 Bronte Road in Oakville.
If you choose to pick up your vaccines from 1151 Bronte Road, please:
- make sure you are available to pick up your vaccines during one of the appointment time slots;
- ensure that your hard-sided insulated container is between +2.0○C and +8.0○C;
- closely follow the most recent Insulated Container section in the Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines (external PDF) to avoid being unable to collect your vaccines;
- ensure your hard-sided insulated container has a maximum-minimum thermometer and that you follow the Insulated Containers requirements in the Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines (external PDF)
- use refrigerated water blankets to ensure vaccine safety when preparing and packing an insulated container; and
- ensure that your hard-sided cooler is large enough to store your entire vaccine order. Packaging for many vaccines has changed since the start of the pandemic with pre-filled syringes becoming more common. Since pre-filled syringes take up more physical space, your vaccine order may not fit in a single hard-sided cooler.
If the Public Health Pharmacy team determines that you are not prepared to safely transport your vaccine order, you will have to return at a later date once you are able to fulfill the vaccine cold chain requirements.
School Based Vaccines
Halton Region Public Health provides school-based vaccines for Grade 7 students at public, private, Catholic and French school boards and time-limited community-based clinics across Halton.
School based vaccines include:
- Meningococcal Conjugate-ACYW-135 (Nimenrix®/ Menactra®) (required for school attendance)
- Hepatitis B (ENGERIX®-B/ Recombivax®HB) (recommended)
- Human Papillomavirus (GARDASIL®9) (recommended)
Halton physicians will continue to be able to order school based vaccines for eligible students through the online Vaccine Order Form (Special Vaccine Order).
Please encourage your patients to report all vaccinations done by a primary healthcare provider to Halton Region Public Health using the online immunization reporting system (external link).
Halton Region Public Health will be returning to schools in April 2023 for the second round of school-based immunization clinics.
Community immunization clinics will be held on March 13 to 17 and March 20 to 24, 2023 to help students in grades 9 to 12 up on missed doses of school-based and Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) (external link) vaccines.
Vaccines offered at the community immunization clinic include:
- Human Papillomavirus - HPV
- Hepatitis B- HB
- Meningococcal Conjugate-ACYW-135*
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Polio - Tdap-IPV*
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis - Tdap*
- Inactivated Poliomyelitis - IPV*
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella - MMR*
*Given in childhood, and required for school attendance as per the Immunization of Students and Pupils Act (ISPA) (external link).
Please direct families and students to visit Halton’s immunization page.
Frequently asked questions on 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.
Vaccine Storage
For information on vaccine storage and handling practices for health care providers in Halton region who are storing publicly funded vaccine, please visit the Vaccine Storage and Handling webpage.
Influenza Vaccine
The Ministry of Health has released the 2022/2023 Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) Implementation Package (external PDF). This year’s implementation package contains information for providers on influenza product availability, distribution and vaccine supply. The UIIP offers influenza vaccine free of charge each year to all individuals six months of age and older who live, work or go to school in Ontario.
Resources
- Ministry of Health:
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI):
Product Availability
Primary care providers will not receive all doses received last season in their first order as the Ministry of Health only receives a proportion of the total provincial supply in October.
Product Availability |
Vaccine Product |
Age Indication |
Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QIV) |
- FluLaval® Tetra
- Fluzone® Quadrivalent
|
≥6 months |
- Afluria® Tetra (supplied to Pharmacies Only)
|
≥5 years |
High-Dose Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QIV-HD) |
- Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent
|
≥65 years |
Adjuvanted Trivalent Inactivated Vaccine (TIV-adj) |
|
≥65 years |
Note: Fluzone® High-Dose will be prioritized to patients in long-term care/retirement homes but will also be available to hospitals and primary care providers and in pharmacies
FluMist®, Flucelvax® and Supemtek™ will NOT be publicly funded for the 2022/2023 influenza season; however, it may be purchased privately at a pharmacy.
Children 6 months to less than 9 years of age receiving seasonal influenza vaccine for the first time in their life should be given 2 doses of influenza vaccine, with a minimum interval of 4 weeks between doses.
Children 6 months to less than 9 years of age, who have been vaccinated with one or more doses of seasonal influenza vaccine in the past, should receive 1 dose of influenza vaccine per season thereafter.
Influenza Vaccine Eligibility
Early doses of influenza vaccine received in September and October are reserved only for individuals at high risk of influenza-related complications (external link) or who are more likely to require hospitalization, healthcare providers, hospitalized individuals, hospital staff, long-term care and rest and retirement Home residents and staff.
Influenza vaccination for the general public can begin November 1. Large-scale influenza clinics should be planned for late November to ensure that an adequate supply can be ordered based on available provincial supply.
Influenza immunization should be prioritized as follows:
Month |
Populations |
End of September |
- Hospitalized individuals and hospital staff
- Long-term care home residents and staff
|
October |
|
November |
|
COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccinations
As per the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), all available publicly funded influenza vaccines (i.e., QIV-HD, TIV-adj, and QIV) may be given with other vaccines, or at any time before or after, other vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 6 months of age and older (external PDF).
We ask that you please consider, as appropriate, co-administration of COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine whenever possible.
Vaccine Exemptions
Important information regarding vaccine education sessions
Due to the unforeseen circumstances brought on by COVID-19 over the last two years, school suspensions under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) will not be enforced during the 2022/2023 school year. Vaccine education sessions are not available at this time, and therefore Halton Region Public Health is not currently accepting submissions for non-medical exemptions. Please check regularly for updates.
A parent or guardian may decide against vaccinating their child for medical or personal reasons. Choose the necessary exemption form for your patient from the list below.
Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief for school-age children exemption process is currently on hold. Vaccine education sessions are not available at this time, and therefore Halton Region Public Health is not currently accepting submissions for non-medical Immunization of Students and Pupils Act (ISPA) (external link) exemptions. Please check regularly for updates.
Updated Eligibility for Routine Vaccines
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).
Updated Eligibility for High-Risk Vaccines
COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding Program
Working together is critical to protect our community from COVID-19. As Public Health’s capacity to vaccinate against COVID-19 lessens, primary care, specialty practices, and pharmacies will become increasingly important in providing COVID-19 vaccines.
Onboarding your practice now will ensure you are ready to receive and provide COVID-19 vaccine to prevent any unnecessary delay in COVID-19 vaccination. Once your practice has been onboarded, you can choose to start administering the vaccine at a later date.
Eligibility Criteria
*Practices that have an existing holding point code for ordering publicly funded vaccines will be prioritized
Any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine onboarding program should be directed to pharmacists@halton.ca.
Physician practices that meet the above criteria must complete the following steps to enroll in Halton Region’s COVID-19 vaccine program.
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 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.
Halton Region COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding Resources
Topics Library
Reducing Vaccine Injection Pain in Children
Reporting an Adverse Event Following Immunization
As a health care provider, the law requires you to report an adverse event following an immunization. Do your part to monitor adverse events by following these three easy steps:
- Advise patients to contact you if they experience an unwanted and unexpected health effect after receiving a vaccine.
- Report adverse events to your local public health unit. Use the Report of Adverse Event Following Immunization Reporting Form. (external PDF)
- If you have questions, contact your local public health unit.
Once you have completed the reporting form, fax it to 905-465-3403.