We are now in Stage 1 of the Provinces re-opening plan thanks to the dedicated and hard work of everyone involved in the vaccine roll-out. I’m here with another update as part of my ongoing commitment to you to help keep you aware of how to access vaccination.
We at Main Street Pharmacy and Wellness Centre 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.
With the shipping delays of vaccine coming into Canada most pharmacies are not getting regular shipments. On behalf of my colleagues and myself in pharmacy I want to thank you for your patience and understanding when calling to find out about vaccine supply and appointment availability.
Key Updates
If your first vaccine was Pfizer or Moderna, the eligibility criteria for second doses has changed. As of Monday June 21st, anyone who got their first dose on or before May 9th is eligible.
Starting Monday June 28th, any adult who got their first dose more than 28 days ago is eligible. If your first vaccine was AstraZeneca you are eligible for your second dose on a rolling 8-week period.
You can book your appointment by calling the Health Unit at 226-773-2200, going online to the WECHU Booking Link or by calling a participating pharmacy.
Currently the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that you should get the same mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) you had for your first vaccine, except in cases of lack of access to the same product. Then interchanging is acceptable.
For AstraZeneca NACI has now said that they support using an mRNA vaccine as the preferred second dose.
Right now there is a delay in receiving Pfizer into Canada due to shipping issues and so we are seeing an upswing of Moderna being used as we are saving Pfizer for people aged 12-18, as that is the only vaccine they can receive.
If you got your vaccine out of Ontario (for example if you’re 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 8-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 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 8, and a few weeks ago I said 12.
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 one of the best ways protect yourself.
That being said, as the variants of COVID-19 enter the country and spread, the slight decrease in efficacy seen by getting your second dose at 8 weeks is offset by the protective benefit of having your second dose.
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
Patients who received their first dose of Pfizer or Moderna on or before May 9th are eligible for their second dose at this point in time.
Starting Monday June 28th any adult will be eligible for their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna as long as it has been more than 28 days since their first dose.
For patients who received AstraZeneca, you are eligible regardless of age if it has been at least 8 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.
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. At this point in time however it is anticipated that most people will be eligible based on the date they got their vaccine and should not need to worry about this.
All second-dose bookings can be done by calling 226-773-2200, going online to the WECHU Booking Link, or by calling a participating pharmacy.
WECHU has a second-dose wait list that can be accessed at the WECHU Booking Link for anyone who got their dose on or before May 9th for Pfizer or Moderna or April 30th for AstraZeneca.
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.
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 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
Image by Ali Raza from Pixabay
A very excellent article. You informed people of all ages how to get their vaccines, which is very good.
I have to say Aaron all your articles have been very great articles.
Very proud of you.