Eligibility and Recommendations for Staying Up To Date with your COVID-19 Vaccine

 

 

Children Aged 6 Months to 4 Years Old

Children aged 6 months to 4 years old are eligible to receive a primary COVID-19 vaccine series to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.

Booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine are not currently recommended for this age group.

Individuals must be at least 6 months of age on or before the date of their appointment to be eligible.

If someone other than a parent/legal guardian will be bringing a child for their COVID-19 vaccine (e.g. grandparent, uncle, older sibling, etc.) a parent/legal guardian MUST complete this COVID-19 Vaccine Children/Youth (Age 5-17) Consent Form and send a signed copy with the child to the clinic. If you are unable to print a copy of the consent form please call 519-427-5903.

 

Individuals Ages 5 and Older

Individuals aged 5 and older are recommended/eligible to receive a primary COVID-19 vaccine series followed by a booster dose on or after September 1, 2022.

For specific high-risk populations, it is recommended they complete the primary series and receive a booster dose at an interval of 6 months (168 days) after their previous COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Individuals ages 5 years and older who have not yet received a booster dose since September 1, 2022, remain recommended to receive a booster dose if it has been at least six months since their last dose or confirmed COVID-19 infection. If a booster dose has been received on or after September 1, 2022 (either monovalent or bivalent), there is no current evidence that substantiates the need for an additional dose, beyond the high-risk groups mentioned below (recommended for a Spring 2023 dose). Recommendations for future doses will be issued closer to Fall 2023. This is because of emerging evidence around the strength and durability of protection against severe COVID-19 disease in people with hybrid immunity (previous COVID-19 infection AND COVID-19 vaccine), the high proportion of the population previously infected with COVID-19 as well as the current epidemiology of COVID-19 in 2023.

 

Individuals in specific high-risk populations are recommended to receive a spring booster dose if at least six months (168 days) has passed since their last dose or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

The following groups are recommended to receive a booster dose this spring:

• 65 years and older
• Residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, elder care lodges, and other congregate living settings for seniors
• Individuals 18 years and older living in congregate care settings for people with complex medical care needs
• Pregnant individuals
• Individuals 18 years and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised
• Individuals aged 55 years and older who identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and their non-Indigenous household members aged 55 years and older.

In Ontario, individuals outside of the above groups may opt to receive another booster dose during the Spring of 2023, if at least 6 months (168 days) has passed since their previous dose or confirmed COVID-19 infection. However, there is no current evidence that substantiates the need for an additional dose if a booster was already received on or after September 1, 2022.

Individuals must have already had their 5^th birthday on or before the date of their appointment to be eligible for a booster.

If someone other than a parent/legal guardian will be bringing a child for their COVID-19 vaccine (e.g. grandparent, uncle, older sibling, etc.) a parent/legal guardian MUST complete this COVID-19 Vaccine Children/Youth (Age 5-17) Consent Form and send a signed copy with the child to the clinic. If you are unable to print a copy of the consent form please call 519-427-5903.

 

People who are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised 

Moderately or severely immunocompromised people aged 5 and older are recommended/eligible to receive a 3-dose primary COVID-19 vaccine series.

After completion of a 3-dose primary series, it is recommended that COVID-19 booster doses be administered at an interval of 6 months (168 days) after a previous COVID-19 vaccine.

Eligible high-risk health conditions for a 3-dose primary series are listed below. Proof of condition is required at clinic – i.e. detailed referral note from physician/specialist or current prescription.

 

• Transplant recipients (including solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplants)
• Patients with hematological cancers (examples include lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia) on active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy)
• Recipients of an anti-CD20 agent (e.g. rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab)
• Those undergoing active treatment for solid tumors
• Those who are in receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Those receiving dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis)
• Those with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Stage 3 or advanced untreated HIV infection and those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
• Those undergoing active treatment with the following categories of immunosuppressive therapies: anti-B cell therapies (monoclonal antibodies targeting CD19, CD20 and CD22), high-dose systemic corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, or tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and other biologic agents that are significantly immunosuppressive.

A complete list of eligible immunosuppressive medications can be found in this Ministry document. Prescriptions or medication bottles for immunosuppressants listed in the table may be presented for a 3rd dose. If the immunosuppressive medication is not listed, a referral form/ letter from a health care provider is required.

 

 

People Who Received Vaccines Not Authorized by Health Canada

People who received only one or two doses of a non-Health Canada (HC) authorized COVID-19 vaccine may receive one additional dose in Ontario at least 28 days after the previous dose to complete the primary series.

People who received one HC authorized vaccine and one non-HC authorized vaccine (in either order) need no additional doses to complete the primary series.

People who received three doses (any combination of HC authorized, and non-HC authorized) need no additional doses to complete the primary series.

Following any additional doses needed to complete the primary series, these individuals should follow the relevant age-based booster dose recommendations to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.

 

People Who Have Had a COVID-19 Infection

People who have had a COVID-19 infection should receive the recommended number of doses as outlined above. However, they are recommended to wait 4 to 8 weeks after having a COVID-19 infection to get the next dose in their primary series (e.g. between first and second doses of Pfizer or Moderna).

People who get COVID-19 after a completed primary series are recommended to wait 3 months after having COVID-19 before receiving a booster dose.

Optimal timing can be discussed with a health care provider and depends on age, number of doses received, risk of exposure and health status.

 

Eligibility will be checked at the clinic and ineligible individuals will be turned away.