Halton Region Public Health: Office of the Medical Officer of Health
Quick facts
- The first auto-shipment of influenza vaccines will be delivered by Critical Path courier, at no cost to your facility, starting Monday, October 6. Influenza vaccines that are sent as part of the auto-shipment are not ordered by your facility; they are automatically sent to your facility.
- COVID-19 vaccines must be ordered through the Online Vaccine Order Form. Infant and Adult RSV products must be ordered by faxing a completed RSV Product Order Form (PDF file) to 905-465-3403.
- Orders placed by October 1 will be delivered with influenza auto-shipment #1
- Orders placed by October 8 will be delivered with influenza auto-shipment #2
- Vaccination of high priority groups for influenza and COVID-19, and vaccination of older adults for RSV prevention can begin as soon as vaccines are available.
- Vaccination of infants and high-risk children for RSV prevention can begin on October 1.
- “Protect Tiny Lungs, Breathe Easy” RSV posters are available to order through doctors@halton.ca.
- Vaccination for the general population for influenza and COVID-19 can begin on October 27. Do not plan large-scale vaccination clinics before this date as vaccine may not be available.
- Learn more about the respiratory diseases you’ll be seeing in your practice this fall and winter and how to prevent them through effective immunization, including expanded RSV eligibility at the upcoming Mainpro+ accredited webinar (October 8 from 7-8 p.m.) (external link). Any interested healthcare professional is welcome to register.
Influenza vaccine key information
| Age group | TIV | TIV-HD | TIV-adj | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluzone® | Fluviral | Flucelvax® | Fluzone®HD | Fluad® | |
| 6 months and older | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| ≥ 65 years | ✓ | ✓ | |||
- All influenza vaccines are trivalent this season, as the B/Yamagata strain has not been detected since March 2020.
- Adults 65 years of age and older, should be offered TIV-HD or TIV-adj, when available. There is no preferential recommendation for the use of TIV-HD versus TIV-adj for this age group.
- If TIV-HD or TIV-adj is not available, any of the available age-appropriate vaccines should be used. The most important thing is for older adults to be vaccinated. Do not delay vaccination to wait for a particular product.
- Additional influenza vaccines can be ordered through the Online Vaccine Order Form starting October 14.
North Halton facilities that order influenza vaccines by October 17 will receive their order the following week. This extended ordering deadline applies to influenza vaccines only. This will allow North Halton facilities to determine required quantities after receiving their second influenza auto-shipment, and to receive additional vaccines, if needed, before the program opens to the general population on October 27.
COVID-19 vaccine key information
The following COVID-19 vaccine products are available this season:
| 12+ years | 5-11 years | 6 months – 4 years | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-dose vial | Pre-filled syringe | Multi-dose vial | Single dose vial | Multi-dose vial | |
| Pfizer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Moderna | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Pfizer and Moderna Pre-filled Syringes (PFS) will be available to order later this fall via the online Vaccine Order Form
RSV prevention vaccine and products key information
The following RSV products and vaccines are available this season:
| Product | Indication | Pack size |
|---|---|---|
| Beyfortus® 50mg | Infants weighing < 5kg | 14.4 x 5.1 x 2.4 (cm) (1-pack) |
| Beyfortus® 100mg | Infants weighing ≥ 5kg | 14.0 x 10.8 x 2.4 (cm) (5-pack) |
| Abrysvo® | Older adults and pregnant individuals | 10.7 x 3.7 x 7.4 (cm) (1-pack) |
| Arexvy® | Older adults | 2.4 x 13.4 x 4.3 (cm) (1-pack) |
- Arexvy® and Abrysvo® are currently only available in single dose packaging. Consider the pack size dimensions and your available fridge space when determining the number of doses to order.
- Publicly funded RSV vaccines will not be available at community pharmacies this season.
- LTCH and RH that will not be receiving an influenza auto shipment, can still order RSV vaccines if required. Any RSV orders that are received by October 1 or October 8 will be sent with the influenza auto shipment, at no cost to your facility.
- Last year, Halton Region Public Health distributed the “Protect Tiny Lungs, Breathe Easy” poster to health care providers across Halton Region. The 8.5 x 11-inch poster includes a QR code that patients can scan to access information about Infant RSV on halton.ca.
- If you would like to receive a poster for display in your clinic, contact us via email at doctors@halton.ca
Vaccine delivery information
The auto-shipment delivery schedule for the fall vaccination campaign is as follows:
| Municipality | Auto-shipment #1 delivery date | Auto-shipment #2 delivery date |
|---|---|---|
| Oakville | October 6 & 7 | October 14 & 15 |
| Burlington | October 7 & 8 | October 15 & 16 |
| Milton and Halton Hills | October 9 | October 17 |
- Due to the volume of deliveries, auto-shipments in Burlington and Oakville will be completed over several days. Your auto-shipment delivery will be on one of the dates provided on the schedule.
- Facilities must have a staff member present on site to receive their vaccine delivery between the hours of 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Requests for a specific delivery time or date cannot be accommodated. Any vaccines not received by the facility will be returned to Halton Regional Centre and another delivery will be attempted the following week.
- Public hospitals, long term care homes and retirement homes will be receiving all of their initial influenza vaccine from the first auto-shipment.
- Primary care providers will be receiving their initial influenza vaccines in two auto-shipments.
- Long term care and retirement homes that have a pharmacy partnership to offer influenza and/or COVID-19 vaccines will not receive vaccines from Public Health. Pharmacy will supply vaccines.
- Community pharmacies will be receiving influenza and COVID-19 vaccines from their vaccine distributor.
- COVID-19 vaccine distribution started the week of September 22
- Influenza vaccine distribution is anticipated to start the week of October 14.
- Community pharmacies administering vaccines in LTCH and RHs will not be receiving influenza vaccines before October 14.
Additional resources
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus – Information for Older Adults, Parents and Caregivers (external link), Ministry of Health
- RSV Prevention Programs – Information for Health Care Providers (external link), Ministry of Health
- Universal Influenza Immunization Program (external link), Ministry of Health
- COVID‑19 Vaccine Program (external link), Ministry of Health
Please report all suspected/confirmed cases of Diseases of Public Health Significance (only report COVID-19 cases occurring in high-risk settings) to Public Health immediately by calling 311, 905-825-6000 or toll free at 1-866-442-5866.