COVID-19, Health

Rx Care in the Community: COVID-19 Vaccine Updates for June 7

Vaccinations are speeding along in Ontario and I’m here with another update as part of my ongoing commitment to you to help keep you aware of how to access vaccination.

First off I want to thank all my incredible staff, family and patients for helping us get through our first vaccine clinic here at Main Street Pharmacy! Everything went smoother than I could have imagined.

We are currently out of vaccines at this point in time. We will post again when we know what vaccine we will be getting when! Unfortunately the Ministry gives us very little heads up or information. Because we could get Pfizer or Moderna in next, we are not currently taking a wait-list.

Key Updates

Patients 70 years and older who have had their first shot more than 28 days ago can book their second vaccine of either Pfizer or Moderna by calling the Health Unit at 226-773-2200, going online to the WECHU Booking Link or by calling a participating pharmacy.

WECHU is also doing second doses for patients who had their first dose on or before March 31st.

Most Pharmacies will be doing second doses along the new provincial schedule which says those who got their first dose on or before April 18th. WECHU said in their press-release today on June 7, 2021 that they expect to line up with the new provincial guidelines later this week.

If you got your vaccine out of Ontario (for example a healthcare worker in Michigan who received it through work) please fill out the WECHU Out of Province Survey below so we have accurate information on vaccination numbers in our community.

AstraZeneca:
The AZ vaccine has been stopped for first doses in Ontario. This was due to the potential for vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT) and not because of the efficacy of the vaccine.

Patients who got AZ now have two options for a second dose vaccine. When you reach your 12-week eligibility to get your second dose, you can either get an AZ vaccine from a participating pharmacy or you may schedule an appointment for with Pfizer or Moderna.

This choice is based on two things. Firstly the rate of VIPIT in second dose recipients is much, much lower compared to the already low rate of first dose VIPIT.

Secondly there were studies done in the UK and Spain that showed good evidence that there was similar efficacy in immune protection with a mixed series. There is the potential for worse short-term side effects (fever, chills, body aches) when getting a mixed schedule.

Many of you are understandably confused and frustrated by the constant change in the AZ vaccine status. Some people got it at 10 weeks and now here I am saying 12, then the ministry extended the expiry of the AZ vaccines by a month.

First the 10 week was an accelerated schedule the ministry approved to try and use as much of the AZ vaccine before it expired. The Heath Canada-approved interval for AZ is anywhere between 4 and 12 weeks, but the studies showed the greatest immune response at the 12-week mark. So rest assured that waiting until the 12 weeks is the way to best protect yourself.

Expiry dates are dates the manufacturers put on a product that says we know it will be good until this date, but they keep product in reserve and are doing constant testing to see if it is good for longer.

This is done not just with these vaccines but with many prescription and over-the-counter products you use, and those dates change and get extended all the time, just in a less public manner. This is nothing to worry about and it doesn’t mean you are getting a substandard or unsafe vaccine.

You can locate a pharmacy who has been provided AZ for second doses by using the Provincial Pharmacy Locator and filtering by AZ (2nd doses) or the WECHU Pharmacy Second Dose Locator.

Pfizer:
Pfizer is approved for people aged 12 years and above.

Moderna:
Moderna is approved for people aged 18 years and above.

First Dose Information

Pharmacies:
Pharmacies are now able to vaccinate anyone 12 and older. Please note, however, that some pharmacies have Pfizer and some have Moderna, so if booking for someone under 18 (but who will be 18 in 2021) make sure the location has Pfizer or your appointment will not be able to be completed.

If you are booking for a young child, they must be 12 at the time of the appointment and it must be a Pfizer location.

There is still limited vaccine available for pharmacies and a backlog of patients waiting to get their vaccine.

Pharmacies are required to book and manage their own appointments. There is no central scheduling tool that you can access to get an appointment. You can find pharmacies that have the vaccine at the WECHU Pharmacy Locator link or Provincial Pharmacy Locator link below.

WECHU:
– The mass vaccination sites run by the health unit are scheduling anyone 12+

– For anyone under 16 years old a parent or guardian MUST accompany them to the appointment.

– You can register for an appointment through WECHU by going to the WECHU booking link below or calling 226-773-2200.

– If you are an adult member of a First Nations, Inuit or Metis community SOAHAC is no longer administering doses but you can call WECHU at 226-773-2200 and indicate you are a member of the above communities to book an appointment.

Wait Lists:
Currently WECHU is allowing people 12+ to go on a wait-list for their first dose. This can be done at the WECHU Booking Link below.

Second Dose Information

Currently the Ministry of Health is allowing patients who are 70 and older (or will be 70 in 2021) who had Pfizer or Moderna to schedule their second dose if it has been more than 28 days since their first dose.

Patients who received their first dose of Pfizer or Moderna on or before April 18th are also eligible for their second dose at this point in time. Currently WECHU is doing only those who are 70+ or who got their first dose on or before March 31st.

For patients who received AstraZeneca, you are eligible regardless of age if it has been at least 12 weeks since your first dose. You are eligible to receive any of the available vaccines as your second dose based on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendations.

Last week the ministry announced a second-dose roll-out plan which has already been accelerated, so until they release an updated timeline we do not know when those who got their vaccine after April 18th will be eligible.

Second doses may also be done earlier for certain priority patients with specific health conditions and certain healthcare workers. A letter from your physician or specialist might be needed as a high priority patient to book your second dose.

All second-dose bookings must be done by calling 226-773-2200.

Please do not attempt to book a second dose if you don’t qualify. The decision to delay second doses has been made to support the mass vaccination of the population.

The decision to do second doses on time for those populations is based on risk (from health conditions or exposure) and the fact that patients with those health conditions may not mount a fully effective immune response to a single dose.

For both Pfizer and Moderna, the current shortened timeline approved for vaccination is 28 days for both.

High Risk health Conditions are:

– Treatment for malignant hematologic disorders

– Nonhematologic malignant solid tumors

– Transplant recipients (including solid organ transplants and hematopoietic stem cell transplants)

– Individuals undergoing hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis

Priority Healthcare Workers:

You’ll find a full list of priority healthcare workers here. The list can also be found on the WECHU website near the bottom of the page.

In general, if you are involved in the COVID response (vaccination, testing, treating), are part of a hospitals critical care or emergency staff, or are a first responder, you qualify.

If you are an adult member of a First Nations, Inuit or Metis community you can contact WECHU at 226-773-2200 to schedule a second dose.

As a final note I want to thank all our community partners who are working hard to get this vaccine out to our communities.

As always, if you have questions please give us a call at 519-712-8800 and I will do my best to help you with the ever changing information regarding the vaccine and any other issues you may be having.

Stay healthy, stay safe and get the vaccine when you can!

Resource Links:

WECHU Out of Province Survey

WECHU Pharmacy First Dose Locator

WECHU Pharmacy Second Dose Locator

Provincial Pharmacy Locator

WECHU Clinic Link

WECHU Booking Link

Image by fernando zhiminaicela from Pixabay

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