COVID-19 Vaccines

Which vaccine is HS Medical offering?

Update June 11, 2021

Our clinic is offering the Moderna vaccine as follows:

1. First doses to anyone 18 and over.
2. Second doses to those 70 and over who received a 1st dose Moderna
3. Second doses to those who received their first dose Moderna on or before April 18th
4. Second doses for those who received AstraZeneca 12 weeks prior.

Update – given the overwhelming response we are currently contacting patients on the waitlist.  We will open up more appointments once available.   Check back to our website soon.

Who can get the vaccine?

TORONTO COVID-19 VACCINE CRITERIA (18+) *Effective May 21, 2021

 

City of Toronto Mass Immunization Clinics:

 

Pharmacy Vaccination: 

  • Who is eligible? 

    • Age 18 & older (including anyone turning 18 later in 2021)


Hospital Immunization Clinics: 

  • Who is eligible? Any of the following, regardless of age unless specified:

    • Frontline health care workers in high/very high/highest risk groups

    • Residents, staff, and essential caregivers in long term care homes, retirement homes, and assisted living

    • First Nations, Métis, and Inuit adults (age 16 and older)

    • Adults receiving chronic home care (will receive a letter if eligible)

    • Faith Leaders (e.g. end of life care, care of deceased, home visits, care in health care and vulnerable settings)

    • Individuals with no fixed address

    • Pregnancy (many hospital sites)

    • Transplant recipients and those receiving active cancer treatment (excluding individuals receiving solely hormonal or radiation therapy)

    • Individuals with “highest-risk”/“high-risk” health conditions: see link

    • Caregivers (1 caregiver accompanying individual with the health conditions listed above)

    • Unity Health, Sunnybrook, ELVC, and Thorncliffe Park only: “at-risk” conditions included see link

    • ELVC, Sunnybrook, & Thorncliffe Park sites only: essential workers group 1 & 2 see link

    • Age and postal code criteria are site-dependant:

      • St. Michael’s Hospital (18+): M4X, M5A, M5B, M4Y, M5E

      • St. Joseph’s Hospital (18+): M6K, M6N, M8V, M9A, M9B, M9C, M9R, M9V, M9W

      • WCC, Regent Park, & Ryerson Sites (18+): All M postal codes

      • West End YMCA (50+): M5V, M6E, M6H, M6K, M6N

      • Thorncliffe Park (18+): M4H, M1L, M3C, M4A, M1K, M1M, M1J

      • Scarborough sites (18+): any Scarborough address qualifies (live or work)

      • ELVC & Sunnybrook sites (18+): All Toronto hot spot postal codes

      • West Park Clinic (18+): All M postal codes

      • William Osler Health System (18+): M9R, M9V, M9W. Booking link or call 905-494-6685

    • Sites offer age-based appointments to anyone age 18+, 40+, or 60+ depending on the site

  • How to book? https://vaccineto.ca/sites or call 1-888-385-1910

Mobile & Pop-Up Clinics

 

  • Who is eligible?  

  • Upcoming pop-up and mobile clinics (not an exhaustive list): 

  • Look out for pop-up and mobile clinics in your community or reach out to your city councillor for local updates.

  • Follow @VaxHuntersCanada or @infovaccine on Instagram for daily pop-up updates

covid 19vaccines as soon as they are available. 

What vaccines are available in Canada?

Type: mRNA vaccine

Administration: Two intramuscular injections given 28 days apart

Storage: -25oC to -15oC

Efficacy: 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 in previously uninfected individuals based on clinical trials

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html 

 

Type: mRNA vaccine

Administration: Two intramuscular injections given 21 days apart

Storage: – 80oC to – 60oC

Efficacy: 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 in previously uninfected individuals based on clinical trials

Type: Adenovirus vector vaccine

Administration: Two intramuscular injections given 4-12 weeks apart

Storage: 2oC to 8 oC

Efficacy: 62% effective in preventing COVID-19 in previously uninfected individuals based on clinical trials and 100% effective in preventing severe disease, hospitalisation and death

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe?

The COVID-19 vaccines are safe.  With over 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Canada, the rate of serious adverse reaction (including anaphylaxis) is 0.009% (Health Canada, February 2021)

The common side effects include:

    • -pain at the injection site
    • -muscle pain
    • -fever
    • -headache
    • -fatigue

Studies show that these normally resolve within 1 week of vaccination.

The Centre for Effective Practice has developed handouts that list common side effects and unusual symptoms following vaccination with Moderna and Pfizer. We encourage you to: Access the after-care handout for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Who can receive the COVID-19 vaccine?

The Moderna vaccine can be given to those 18 years of age or older

The Pfizer-Biotech vaccine can be given to those 12 years of age or older

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can be given to those 18 – 65 years of age (but may change with more data)

Pregnant individuals are able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at any point in their pregnancy. Many people who are pregnant have gotten very sick from COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and critical care. Getting vaccinated is safe and an important way to be protected in pregnancy.

Contact our office to speak to your your doctor or if you have questions about getting vaccinated and to understand benefits of getting the vaccine compared to the risks of getting the COVID-19 infection. For many people, getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the safest choice.

The Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Canada  Opens in new windowalso recommends pregnant people get vaccinated in pregnancy. Many pregnant people who get COVID-19 can have mild symptoms. However, especially with the new variants spreading in Ontario, some can get very sick and develop respiratory complications that need care in the hospital. Giving birth too early in pregnancy (preterm birth) may be more common.

Vaccines can protect against these variants and lower the risk of severe illness while pregnant. All COVID-19 vaccines are safe in pregnancy and are being used around the world.

If you are planning on becoming pregnant, it is recommended to get both doses of the vaccine ahead of pregnancy (where possible) when it’s available to you. There is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine.

If you are pregnant or become pregnant soon after getting the first dose of the vaccine you will have to decide if you should get the second dose. The decision should be made by looking at the risks of not being completely vaccinated during pregnancy.

While COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials did not include people who were pregnant or breastfeeding, many people who are pregnant and have been vaccinated are being followed to ensure the vaccine continues to be safe.

Pregnant and breastfeeding patients were excluded from the initial clinical trials; however recently Pfizer-NBiotech and Moderna have started clinical trials for pregnant patients.

A consensus statement by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada:

“Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should be offered vaccination at anytime if
they are eligible and no contraindications exist.”

Currently the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is indicated for those aged 12 to 17 yrs of age and older.   There are clinical trials currently being conducted by Pfizer and Moderna and hope is that a paediatric vaccine will be available by the end of 2021.

Sources:

Public Health Ontario (PHO) – COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

American Academy of Pediatrics – COVID-19 Pediatric Vaccine Trials

SOGC Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine and Pregnancy

Center for Effective Practice (CEP) – Evidence

For more information, please visit:

Toronto Public Health – All About Vaccines

Toronto COVID-19 vaccination update