No images? Click here MEDICAL ADVISORY: COVID-19 Vaccination InformationIssued by: M. Mustafa Hirji, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Medical Officer of Health & Commissioner (Acting) Since receiving COVID-19 vaccine on January 12, Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services (NRPH&ES) administered the first doses of vaccination to long-term care residents in only nine days. This is a major milestone, since this group is suffering the greatest burden of the pandemic. In only the last month there have been 113 deaths of long-term care and retirement home residents in Niagara. Vaccination will hopefully begin to put an end to this tragedy. NRPH&ES is currently completing vaccination of high-risk retirement home residents now. Unfortunately, with the slow-down in vaccine shipments to Canada, administering second doses to these residents is likely to exhaust most of our vaccine supply in upcoming weeks. Vaccination of long-term care home and high-risk retirement home staff is going to be delayed. Vaccination of other health care works and additional priority groups is likewise on hold. Niagara Health has needed to suspend its hospital-based clinics for healthcare workers at this time. Future vaccination planning is well underway, but much of the details depend on uncertain dose delivery timelines. In particular, we do not have a timeline on when vaccine might be available to primary care, but expect it is at least a couple of months away. For more information about the province’s current plans, please visit the COVID-19 Vaccination Update: Technical Briefing. Implications for Your Practice With the highly anticipated arrival of the Pfizer vaccine in Niagara, we recognize that your office may already be getting calls from patients about their medical and immunization history in advance of their COVID-19 vaccination. As is to be expected, there is a great deal of anxiety around specific groups and the safety of the vaccine. Individuals are looking to their health care provider to answer their questions. We would like to support your preparation to help the following patient groups make an informed decision around receiving the COVID-19 vaccine when they call. Children
The following excerpts are from the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations for Special Populations [Version 1.1 January 8, 2021]: Breastfeeding
Pregnant
Allergies Refer to the chart below to determine how to advise a patient with allergies: Autoimmune conditions and immunocompromised due to disease or treatment
Adverse Reactions Following Immunization
Additional Guidance Available New resources are available to help you make recommendations and answer patient questions regarding COVID-19 vaccination. As guidance changes often, please visit these webpages frequently to confirm you are accessing the latest version.
Prioritization Niagara Health, the Community Coordination Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccination formed by Regional Council, and NRPH&ES are working together on the region’s vaccination plan, starting with priority populations identified by the Ontario government for Phase 1 of COVID-19 vaccinations. We will continue to follow the province’s ethical framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution as more vaccine arrives in Niagara. NRPH&ES will update the COVID-19 Vaccination webpage regularly as we receive information on when priority groups are to be vaccinated and how they will be notified when it is their turn. Phase 3 (vaccinating the general population) could begin as early as August 2021, pending availability of vaccines. NRPH&ES has asked that residents refrain from calling Public Health or their health care provider to ask about COVID-19 vaccine clinic information or being put on a wait list for the time being. Some offices have chosen to send an email communication to their patients including the following key messages:
If You Need to Call Public Health
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