MEMO: Catch-up for students overdue for school program vaccines and where to access immunizations during COVID-19 guidance

TO: Health care professionals in the Niagara region

FROM: Vaccine Preventable Disease program

REFERENCE: Catch-up for students overdue for school program vaccines and where to access immunizations during COVID-19 guidance

DATE: September 2020

Grade 7 school immunization clinics were not completed in the spring of 2020 due to school closures and redeployment of Public Health staff. Health care providers are being asked to administer these vaccines to eligible students who are overdue.

Catch-up for Students Overdue for School Program Vaccines

In-person appointments for students who were unable to complete their grade 7 school immunizations this spring are considered necessary visits because publicly funded hepatitis B (HB) and human papillomavirus (HPV-9) immunizations are time-limited for this cohort. Grade 7 school immunizations include HB, HPV-9, and meningitis (Men-C-ACYW).
- Please administer vaccines to eligible students who are overdue for doses of HB and HPV-9 immunizations. In some instances, students may have missed the Men-C-ACYW vaccine given in the fall of 2019. These students will still be eligible to receive the Men-C-ACYW vaccine as they are now overdue. Public Health provides these students with a record of immunization to share back with their health care provider.
- Use this visit to check that students are also up-to-date with their other publicly funded vaccinations
If your office is unable to offer these vaccinations, please direct your patients to go to a walk-in clinic
All parents and legal guardians of grade 8 students will receive a letter from Public Health starting at the end of October/early November asking them to contact their health care provider or a walk-in clinic about starting or finishing their child’s school program vaccines.
- Please contact the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program if you would like to receive a copy of this letter

Quantities of School Vaccine to Have on Hand

Please ensure your office has enough vaccine to accommodate this potential increased demand for school program vaccines without overstocking. Keep in mind that HPV-9 is quite costly when considering storage and handling requirements.
We are launching a new ordering process for school vaccines. Use our newly updated School Program Vaccine Order Form when making your order.
Check your inventory of vaccinations required by the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). If you need additional doses, please use the General Vaccine Order Form.

Vaccine Eligibility for Missed Doses

Although this memo is about catching up grade 7 students who missed their spring of 2020 school vaccinations, we have been getting calls about other students who may not have completed a series.

Here is the revised eligibility for those students from the Ministry of Health:

Vaccination Records

Since ordering school vaccines in bulk is a new practice, the Ministry of Health mandates Public Health to accurately report vaccine usage.
- When reordering school program vaccines, health care providers will need to report back on the names of clients who were vaccinated. See the School Program Vaccine Order Form for complete details.
As per usual, please ask parents and legal guardians to report each vaccination their child receives to Public Health. You can order the notification tear-off pads (under vaccines and immunizations) for your office to support the parent or legal guardian in reporting their child’s vaccine to Public Health.
Parents and legal guardians can request vaccination records for children under 16 years of age from Public Health

Guidance on Immunizations during COVID-19

The Seasonal Influenza information on our website has now been expanded to include COVID-19 guidance to support primary care professionals
Information is now available for Immunization Delivery during COVID-19, including catch-up schedules and revised eligibility. Important to note is the revised vaccine eligibility for shingles prevention:

Please check these webpages regularly for up-to-date information; we will update as new guidance arises throughout this evolving pandemic.

More Information

Visit Public Health’s immunization and vaccine web page for health care professionals or call the Vaccine Preventable Disease program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396.