Vaccine Distribution Update
Healthcare providers now have two options for receiving their vaccines:
- They can choose to have the vaccines couriered to them, but they must have an account with a vaccine courier service, or
- They can pick up the vaccines from the Halton Regional Centre (HRC) at 1151 Bronte Road in Oakville.
This fall, influenza vaccines will be sent to all premises participating in UIIP through an auto shipment process.
- Auto shipments are anticipated to be delivered starting in early October.
- All auto shipments will be delivered by vaccine courier at no cost to your facility.
Deliveries and pick-ups for routine and special order vaccines will be paused for 2 weeks to accommodate the auto-shipment schedule.
- For Burlington and Oakville, there will be no vaccine delivery on October 3 or 4
- For Milton and Halton Hills, there will be no vaccine delivery on October 10 or 11
- During this time, orders for high-risk vaccines will be approved on a case-by-case basis.
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.
Frequently asked questions on ordering vaccines
Vaccine orders submitted 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.
The Health Care Provider Vaccine Order Form (PDF file) must be used when ordering vaccines for clients who meet the High Risk eligibility criteria, but the vaccine cannot be ordered through the online ordering system. This also includes clients for whom vaccination is recommended as part of case and contact management.
All other vaccine orders must be placed through the online ordering system.
Vaccine Distribution
September 2023 – January 2024 Vaccine Distribution Schedule
North Halton (Milton and Halton Hills) Vaccine Distribution Schedule - Delivery
Order by |
Milton
Tuesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
Halton Hills
Wednesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
September 6, 2023 |
September 12, 2023 |
September 13, 2023 |
September 20, 2023 |
September 26, 2023 |
September 27, 2023 |
No Deliveries for Routine or Special Vaccine Orders on October 10 or 11.
During this time, orders for high-risk vaccines will be approved on a case-by-case basis. |
October 18, 2023 |
October 24, 2023 |
October 25, 2023 |
November 1, 2023 |
November 7, 2023 |
November 8, 2023 |
November 15, 2023 |
November 21, 2023 |
November 22, 2023 |
November 29, 2023 |
December 5 2023 |
December 6, 2023 |
December 13, 2023 |
December 19, 2023 |
December 20, 2023 |
December 27, 2023 |
January 16, 2024 |
January 17, 2023 |
North Halton (Milton and Halton Hills) Vaccine Distribution Schedule - Pick-Up
Order by |
Tuesdays
between 9 – 11:30 a.m. |
Wednesdays
between 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
September 6, 2023 |
September 12, 2023 |
September 13, 2023 |
September 20, 2023 |
September 26, 2023 |
September 27, 2023 |
No Pick-ups for Routine or Special Vaccine Orders on October 10 or 11.
During this time, orders for high-risk vaccines will be approved on a case-by-case basis. |
October 18, 2023 |
October 24, 2023 |
October 25, 2023 |
November 1, 2023 |
November 7, 2023 |
November 8, 2023 |
November 15, 2023 |
November 21, 2023 |
November 22, 2023 |
November 29, 2023 |
December 5, 2023 |
December 6, 2023 |
December 13, 2023 |
December 19, 2023 |
December 20, 2023 |
December 27, 2023 |
January 16, 2024 |
January 17, 2024 |
South Halton (Burlington and Oakville) Vaccine Distribution Schedule - Delivery
Order by |
Burlington
Tuesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
Oakville
Wednesday delivery
between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
August 30, 2023 |
September 5, 2023 |
September 6, 2023 |
September 13, 2023 |
September 19, 2023 |
September 20, 2023 |
No Deliveries for Routine or Special Vaccine Orders on October 3 or 4.
During this time, orders for high-risk vaccines will be approved on a case-by-case basis. |
October 11, 2023 |
October 17, 2023 |
October 18, 2023 |
October 25, 2023 |
October 31, 2023 |
November 1, 2023 |
November 8, 2023 |
November 14, 2023 |
November 15, 2023 |
November 22, 2023 |
November 28, 2023 |
November 29, 2023 |
December 6, 2023 |
December 12, 2023 |
December 13, 2023 |
December 20, 2023 |
January 9, 2024 |
January 10, 2024 |
South Halton (Burlington and Oakville) Vaccine Distribution Schedule - Pick-Up
Order by |
Tuesdays
between 9 – 11:30 a.m. |
Wednesdays
between 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
August 30, 2023 |
September 5, 2023 |
September 6, 2023 |
September 13, 2023 |
September 19, 2023 |
September 20, 2023 |
No Pick-ups for Routine or Special Vaccine Orders on October 10 or 11.
During this time, orders for high-risk vaccines will be approved on a case-by-case basis. |
October 11, 2023 |
October 17, 2023 |
October 18, 2023 |
October 25, 2023 |
October 31, 2023 |
November 1, 2023 |
November 8, 2023 |
November 14, 2023 |
November 15, 2023 |
November 22, 2023 |
November 28, 2023 |
November 29, 2023 |
December 6, 2023 |
December 12, 2023 |
December 13, 2023 |
December 20, 2023 |
January 9, 2024 |
January 10, 2024 |
The next vaccine distribution schedules will be released mid-December 2023.
Vaccine Delivery
Vaccine orders submitted 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.
Vaccines will be delivered on your scheduled delivery date listed on the 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 no staff member is present to receive the delivery, vaccines will be returned to Halton Regional Centre (HRC). They will be delivered again on your next scheduled bi-weekly delivery date.
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
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
Pick up your vaccine order at Halton Regional Centre, 1151 Bronte Road in Oakville (Google map). When you arrive, park on the north side of the building in either the designated spots for Health Department pick up or visitor parking in Lot I. Enter through the door labelled “STM-2B”, located across from parking lot I, beside the main loading dock. Please go to the Facilities Service Desk for vaccine pick-up. If you require an accessible entrance, please use the entrance on the east side of the building and reception will direct you to the Facilities Service Desk.
See the map attached (PDF file) for further directions on where to park and how to enter the building.
Vaccine pick-up times are:
- Tuesdays from 9 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Each municipality will follow a bi-weekly vaccine distribution schedule. Vaccine pick-up dates will correspond with the Vaccine Distribution schedule for your municipality.
If you choose to pick up your vaccines from 1151 Bronte Road, please:
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.
Vaccine orders that are not picked up on the scheduled pick-up date will be available for pick-up on the next bi-weekly pick-up date for your municipality. If you need to cancel your pick-up date, please call 311 or email accesshalton@halton.ca for options.
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.
Hospital vaccine pick-up has not been available since November 2020 for various reasons. Since Public Health Units are responsible for storing and distributing a large quantity of vaccines, the Ministry of Health has additional vaccine storage and handling requirements that we are required to follow. These requirements are in place to minimize the risk of vaccine wastage. Since hospitals are not required to follow the additional vaccine storage and handling requirements that public health units are required to follow, vaccines available through public health, must be picked up either at Public Health or delivered through a courier service.
School Immunization Clinics
Halton Region Public Health provides school-based vaccines for Grade 7 and 8 students at public, private, Catholic and French school boards.
School immunization clinics are resuming in October 2023. Visit Halton’s’ school immunization page for more information.
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).
Community Immunization Clinics
Community immunization clinics will be offered on Friday, October 6 to help student’s in grades 9 through 12 catch-up on missed doses of routine vaccines. Additional community clinics are being planned for December 2023, and early 2024.
Visit Halton’s’ immunization page for more information.
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.
COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding Program
Health care professionals are uniquely positioned to provide information, answer questions and immunize individuals against COVID-19. The COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding Program allows for administration of the COVID-19 vaccine by all eligible facilities. Ensuring ongoing access to COVID-19 vaccines across various health care settings promotes individuals remaining up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines—both for primary series and booster doses.
The following steps must be completed before you can provide COVID-19 vaccines. Public Health is here to support you with this process:
All staff who will be involved with COVID-19 vaccines at your facility must review Halton Region’s COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding Training video.
Once all required clinic staff have completed the OntarioMD: COVax training and Halton Region’s COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding training, your facility must complete a COVax Account Registration Form (to be emailed to your facility) and submit to covidvaccine@halton.ca.
The Health Department will contact your facility directly to provide your Vaccination Event and outline next steps.
Any questions or concerns related to the COVID-19 vaccine onboarding program should be directed to covidvaccine@halton.ca.
Halton Region COVID-19 Vaccine Onboarding Resources
Influenza Vaccine
The Ministry of Health has launched the 2023/2024 Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) (external link). Ontario’s UIIP offers free influenza vaccine each year for individuals six months of age and older who live, work, or go to school in Ontario.
This year’s Influenza Vaccine Program will be rolled out with the 2023 Fall COVID-19 Vaccine Program. To increase uptake, co-administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines should be considered, wherever possible.
Product Availability
The publicly funded influenza vaccines available for the 2023/2024 UIIP include:
- Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QIV)
- FluLaval Tetra
- 6 months to 64 years
- ≥ 65 years
- Fluzone® Quadrivalent
- 6 months to 64 years
- ≥ 65 years
- High-Dose Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QIV-HD)
- Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent
- Adjuvanted Trivalent Inactivated Vaccine (TIV-adj)
Note:
- The publicly funded QIV products (FluLaval Tetra and Fluzone® Quadrivalent) will be distributed based on product availability
- Requests for specific QIV products are not permitted.
- The two publicly funded QIV products are considered equivalent.
- Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent distribution will be prioritized to hospitalized individuals and residents of long term care homes and retirement homes. Remaining doses will be made available for distribution and administration to other seniors in the community.
- Fluzone® Quadrivalent and Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent are different products. Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent is a quadrivalent influenza vaccine authorized only for those 65 years of age and older.
- Please use caution when administering Fluzone® products to ensure that the right vaccine is being administered to the right person.
- FluMist® Quadrivalent is NOT one of the publicly funded influenza vaccines available for the 2023/2024 UIIP. However, it may be purchased privately at a pharmacy.
- Primary care providers will not receive all doses received last season in their first order because the Ministry of Health only receives a portion of the total provincial supply in October.
Influenza Vaccine Eligibility
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that influenza vaccine should be offered annually to anyone 6 months of age and older who does not have a contraindication to the vaccine.
- Children 6 months to less than 9 years of age, who have NOT been previously immunized with influenza vaccine in their life, should be given 2 doses of influenza vaccine at least 4 weeks apart.
- Children 6 months to less than 9 years of age, who have been previously immunized with at least one dose of influenza vaccine in their life, should receive 1 dose of influenza vaccine.
- Individuals 9 years of age and older should receive 1 dose of influenza vaccine.
To promote co-administration of influenza and Fall 2023 COVID-19 XBB vaccines, high-risk criteria between these programs have been aligned and initial doses should be prioritized as follows:
- The following populations will be eligible for vaccination as soon as vaccine is available (Anticipated for end of September / early October):
- October 30, 2023:
Large-scale vaccination clinics should be planned for November to ensure that an adequate supply can be ordered, based on available provincial supply.
Resources
- Ministry of Health:
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI):
Vaccine Exemptions
Important information regarding non-medical exemptions
Halton Region Public Health is now accepting non-medical Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) exemptions. Please view Vaccine Exemptions for Children Attending School for more information.
Halton Region Public Health has resumed enforcement of the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), beginning with high school cohorts in the 2023-2024 school year. To learn more about vaccines required to attend school, and about immunization in general (including translated resources) visit:
A parent or guardian may decide against vaccinating their child for medical or personal reasons. To complete a medical exemption, choose one of the forms below:
Updated Eligibility for Routine Vaccines
Updated Eligibility for High-Risk Vaccines
Reporting an Adverse Event Following Immunization
Topics Library
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