MEDICAL ADVISORY: Supporting the COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

Issued by:  M. Mustafa Hirji, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Medical Officer of Health & Commissioner (Acting)

Niagara Health is currently administering first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the highest, very high, and high priority healthcare workers as outlined by the Ministry of Health.

HCP engagement sent an email Friday, Feb. 26 with instructions for family physicians and their patient-facing staff to book vaccine appointments. If you are experiencing technical issues registering for the vaccine, please call 905-378-4647 Ext. 49099 and leave a message. If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccines, eligibility or your priority group please view Niagara Region Public Health’s Frequently Asked Questions for Health Care Professionals webpage, Niagara Health’s healthcare worker first dose vaccination plan website or contact hcpengagement@niagararegion.ca.

As a trusted source of information for your patients, we recognize how challenging it must be not having as many answers as you would like to provide your patients regarding the vaccination rollout. Niagara Region Public Health is preparing to rollout large-scale vaccination later this month and has announced the planned locations of COVID-19 vaccination sites. Residents 80 years of age and older will be able to book their appointments through the Provincial online and phone registration that is scheduled to launch Monday, March 15.  As soon as we have more information about it, including the website link, phone number, and any other pertinent information, we will share it with the public. You can read our recent media releases at niagararegion.ca/news.

Once vaccine supply is increased, the clinics will be supplemented by local pharmacies and family doctors. If you are interested in seeing what this looks like, read the Ontario Pharmacies and Primary Care Settings to Begin Offering COVID-19 Vaccinations news release at ontario.ca/news.  

Here are some ways you can support Niagara’s vaccination efforts.

Stay Informed

Public Health will continue to send out communications in the form of Memos and Medical Advisories. If you don’t yet receive them via email you can sign up at niagararegion.ca/health/professionals and click “Medical Advisories” on the left navigation. In addition to the COVID-19 Vaccination Information Medical Advisory we sent in January, please visit the following resources to support your patient consults:

• The Centre for Effective Practice: COVID-19 Vaccine (click “COVID-19: Vaccines”). This resource provides the latest information about vaccines in Ontario. It covers prioritization, availability and rollout, point-of-care guidance, details about the vaccines, and more.
• The Canadian Vaccination Evidence Resource and Exchange Centre. This resource focuses on vaccine acceptance and uptake, and features COVID-19 resources on immunization as well as vaccine Q&A’s for health care providers.

Getting timely information has never been more important. Subscribe for COVID-19 media briefings for the latest local updates.

Proactively Engage Patients to Support Vaccine Confidence

According to a recent study, at least two-thirds of Canadians think it is very important for their health care providers to explain possible vaccine side effects and rare reactions, effectiveness and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Recommendations:

• Use presumptive and motivational interviewing techniques to understand patient concerns about vaccination. Visit canada.ca and search: motivational interviewing to access the article: “Motivational interviewing: A powerful tool to address vaccine hesitancy, CCDR 46(4).
• Effectively address patient concerns
  • Use simple, clear language that is easy to understand to provide science-based information in a reassuring way
  • Avoid jargon
  • Bring facts to life with stories (e.g. share the experience of your patients that have received the COVID-19 vaccination)
• Address patient’s fear of pain from immunization

Additional resources to help you address vaccine hesitancy in your practice include:

• PrOTCT PLAN for the COVID-19 vaccine discussion 
• Fake news and science denial attacks on vaccines. What can you do? 
• How to address vaccine hesitancy and refusal by patients or their legal guardians 

Prepare to Administer COVID-19 Vaccinations

Please familiarize yourself with the following COVID-19 vaccination planning resources:

• Public Health Agency of Canada’s Health Care Provider Vaccine Tool Kit includes guidance for managing COVID-19 vaccination clinics and the administration of the COVID-19 vaccines.  
• The Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination-Relevant Information and Planning Resources webpage features a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Operations Planning Checklist

We will continue to update our COVID-19 Vaccination webpage as more information is made available.