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COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Tuesday, April 20, 2021: Appointments for vaccinations are currently unavailable to book online. Please check back at a later date for future clinics.

Safe and reliable vaccines can help protect you and your family from COVID-19. These vaccines will be an important tool to help stop the spread of the virus and will eventually allow individuals, families and workers to safely resume normal life. Even if you have been vaccinated, it’s important to continue following public health measures and to take everyday actions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

For more information:

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 vaccinations.
If you are a healthcare provider, visit: COVID-19 Vaccine Info: Healthcare Professionals.
You can also call to hear our regularly updated vaccination status message. Call HPPH at 1-888-221-2133 and press 1 (one) for COVID Vaccine. Please listen to the whole message to receive all of the information.

How to cancel, change or prepare for your vaccine appointment

To cancel or change an existing appointment, or to find information on preparing for your appointment at an HPPH community clinic, visit our COVID-19 Vaccine: Booking Appointments page.

Second dose information

For information on second doses, see our COVID-19 Vaccine: Booking Appointments page.

Vaccination Eligibility

Ontario has a three-phased vaccination plan.

Phase 2 is now underway, dependent on regional supply of vaccine. The province has provided specific direction regarding the order of eligible recipients in the Guidance for Prioritization of Phase 2 Populations for COVID-19. For Huron Perth, further prioritization is done at a regional level between Huron Perth Public Health, Middlesex London Health Unit and Southwestern Public Health. All Phase 1 groups continue to be eligible for vaccination as well.

As we move through the sequence of groups, people in those groups will be contacted. We will also be sharing information publicly on which groups are eligible. Once supply permits, we will move to additional groups.

Current eligibility list

Eligible as of April 12:

Education staff who provide direct in-person support to students with complex special needs, defined as those who support students who meet one or more of the following criteria:
- who require support with activities of daily living, including health and safety measures
- are unable to wear masks for medical reasons
- have complex medical needs
- cannot be accommodated through remote learning.

Please note: Eligible staff will receive a letter from their school board confirming their eligibility.

Groups that continue to be eligible:

Adults age 65 or older (born 1956 or earlier)
Indigenous persons 16 years of age and older
- NEW (eligible as of April 15): Immediate household/family members of Indigenous people who themselves are not Indigenous are also eligible to receive the vaccine.

Residents, Primary Essential Caregivers and Staff of High-Risk Congregate Living Settings

High-risk congregate living settings refer to residential facilities where a high-risk client population live or stay overnight and use shared spaces (e.g. common sleeping areas, shared bathrooms, shared kitchens, communal dining spaces). The settings are at higher risk of transmission.

Primary essential caregivers are individuals (who enter the congregate living setting) to provide regular and sustained assistance with personal care and/or activities of daily living.

The following groups in this category are able to book appointments at HPPH clinics:

Residents, Primary Essential Caregivers and Staff of High-Risk Congregate Living Settings in the following settings:

Developmental services/intervenor which includes
- supported independent living (person lives independently and has support worker(s) who come into the home to assist.)
Mental health and addictions congregate living
Homes for special care (provincial program providing housing, meals and assistance with daily living for adults with a serious mental illness)
Children’s residential facilities
Youth justice facilities
Supportive housing (a setting where individuals are receiving care)
Indigenous healing and wellness
Bail beds and Indigenous bail beds
Provincial and demonstration schools/Consortium Centre Jules-Leger

The following groups will be contacted directly by HPPH and partners to arrange vaccinations

These groups will also eventually be able to book on our system for an HPPH community clinic:

Residents, Primary Essential Caregivers and Staff of High-Risk Congregate Living Settings in the following settings:
- Emergency homeless shelters
- Other homeless populations not in shelters
- Employer-provided living accommodations for temporary foreign agricultural workers
- Adult correctional facilities
- Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters
- Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) residences
- Inpatients on rehabilitation, complex care, geriatrics and mental health units

Adults 16 years of age and older with the following Highest-Risk health conditions:

The province as part of its Phase 2 Prioritization has identified different risk groups with health conditions. Below are the groups considered "Highest-Risk" that are currently eligible to book at HPPH clinics:

Organ transplant recipients
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
Neurological diseases in which respiratory function may be compromised (e.g., motor neuron disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis)
Haematological malignancy diagnosed <1 year
Kidney disease eGFR <30
In addition, one (1) primary essential caregiver for an individual with an eligible highest-risk health conditions is now also eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Primary essential caregivers are individuals who provide regular and sustained assistance with personal care and/or activities of daily living.

Adults 16 years of age and older who are chronic home care recipients.
Staff and essential caregivers in long-term care homes, retirement homes, and any residents of these settings that have not yet received a first dose of vaccine.
Alternative level of care patients in hospitals who have a confirmed admission to a long-term care home, retirement home or other congregate care home for seniors.
Residents and staff in other congregate care settings for seniors, including assisted living facilities.

Healthcare workers

Where a health sector has been named in the priority sector, all workers in that sector are included (e.g., including students, registered volunteers, custodial, security and reception staff). This includes non-frontline healthcare workers: those working remotely, in administration, and who do not require PPE to work.

Where a non-health setting has been named, only workers providing a health service or direct patient care are included.

Hospital and acute care
Primary care (including walk-in clinics, community health centres, and nurse-practitioner-led clinics
Healthcare workers in the following outpatient and ambulatory areas:
- Developmental services
- Mental health and addictions services
- Campus health
- Community diagnostic imaging
- Nursing staff in daycares and schools
- Dietary / nutrition
- Independent health facilities (e.g., Opticians/Optometry, Podiatry, Audiology)
- Naturopathy / Holistic care
- Social work
- Sexual health clinics
Healthcare workers in the following non-acute rehabilitation and therapy areas:
- Chiropractic
- Chronic pain clinics
- Kinesiology
- Occupational therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Psychotherapy
- Registered massage therapy
- Acupuncture, other therapies
Public health

Patient-facing community health care workers serving specialized populations including:
- Needle exchange/syringe programs and treatment services
- Community Health Centers serving disproportionally affected communities and/or communities experiencing highest burden of health, social and economic impacts from COVID-19
- Home and community care health care workers caring for recipients of chronic homecare and seniors in congregate living facilities or providing hands-on care to COVID-19 patients in the community
Healthcare workers in the following outpatient and ambulatory areas:
- Hospital-based outpatient clinics
- Home and community care
- Adult day programs for seniors
- Community Based Specialty clinics, including medical and surgical specialties
- Death investigation professionals
- Dentistry
- Gynecology/obstetrics, midwifery, and birth centres
- Contract nursing agencies
- Pharmacies
- Assisted living, group homes, residential facilities, supportive housing
- Correctional settings
- Hospices and palliative care settings
- Shelters
Laboratory services

Medical First Responders:
- ORNGE, paramedics, firefighters, police providing medical first response
Faith leaders who, as part of their regular role, are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 through close contact with persons and families in the following circumstances:
- End of life care
- Care of the deceased, funerals, bathing, or other ceremony with direct contact with deceased persons
- Home visits to unwell persons
- Pastoral care in hospitals/LTCHs/RHs or other vulnerable settings

Booking vaccination appointments at HPPH clinics

For individuals currently eligible to receive a vaccine at an HPPH clinic, please click the link below to book an appointment.

Click here to book your vaccine appointment

Please note: Regardless of your vaccination status, it is important to continue following public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please continue to stay home when you are sick, avoid close contact with those outside of your household, practice physical distancing, wear a mask, and wash your hands frequently. Monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested if symptoms develop.

Booking vaccination appointments at pharmacies

Certain Huron-Perth pharmacies will begin offering AstraZeneca vaccine to adults 40 years old or older in 2021. Visit COVID-19 pharmacy vaccine locations for more information.

Current vaccination status in Huron Perth

Vaccine doses administered
Please visit the Huron Perth Public Health Tableau Dashboard "Vaccines" tab, for the latest tally of doses administered. Public Health Ontario reports that as of April 3: 16.3% of H-P residents have received at least 1 dose (provincial average 14.6%) 2.9% of H-P residents have completed the vaccination series (provincial average 2.2%) (source: COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Ontario: December 14, 2020 to April 3, 2021 \| Public Health Ontario)
Vaccination milestones in Huron Perth
March 1, 2021: Mass vaccination clinics began February 26, 2021: First dose vaccinations completed for eligible retirement home residents February 18, 2021: Second dose vaccination completed for eligible Long-Term Care Home and high-risk Retirement Home residents January 27, 2021: First dose vaccination completed for eligible Long-Term Care Home and high-risk Retirement Home residents
Huron Perth COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan Overview
Huron Perth is a large geographic area with small populations distributed throughout. HPPH and partners are committed to providing vaccinations equitably across Huron-Perth for everyone who wants to be vaccinated, and want to remove as many barriers as possible. Given these factors, HPPH is using a model that brings vaccines to people instead of people to vaccines. The Huron Perth model relies on the Three M's: Mass vaccination clinics Mobile clinics Multiple sites and partners Read the Huron Perth COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan Overview. Please note that we are continuously reviewing and revising our local plan according to provincial guidance, Ontario’s ethical framework, and vaccine availability.

Vaccine doses administered

Please visit the Huron Perth Public Health Tableau Dashboard "Vaccines" tab, for the latest tally of doses administered.

Public Health Ontario reports that as of April 3:

16.3% of H-P residents have received at least 1 dose (provincial average 14.6%)
2.9% of H-P residents have completed the vaccination series (provincial average 2.2%)

(source: COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Ontario: December 14, 2020 to April 3, 2021 | Public Health Ontario)

Vaccination milestones in Huron Perth

March 1, 2021: Mass vaccination clinics began
February 26, 2021: First dose vaccinations completed for eligible retirement home residents
February 18, 2021: Second dose vaccination completed for eligible Long-Term Care Home and high-risk Retirement Home residents
January 27, 2021: First dose vaccination completed for eligible Long-Term Care Home and high-risk Retirement Home residents

Huron Perth COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan Overview

Huron Perth is a large geographic area with small populations distributed throughout. HPPH and partners are committed to providing vaccinations equitably across Huron-Perth for everyone who wants to be vaccinated, and want to remove as many barriers as possible. Given these factors, HPPH is using a model that brings vaccines to people instead of people to vaccines. The Huron Perth model relies on the Three M's:

Mass vaccination clinics
Mobile clinics
Multiple sites and partners

Read the Huron Perth COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan Overview. Please note that we are continuously reviewing and revising our local plan according to provincial guidance, Ontario’s ethical framework, and vaccine availability.

Huron Perth Mass Vaccination Advisory Committee (HPMVAC)

The Huron Perth Mass Vaccination Advisory Committee (HPMVAC) has representatives from Huron Perth Public Health, the Huron Perth and Area Ontario Health Team (representing more than 60 organizations including, but not limited to Hospital, Paramedics, Primary Care, Community and Home Care, Mental Health and Addictions Services, Long-Term Care) and municipalities.

HPMVAC Membership Representatives
Community Representative: Barb Fewster Community Pharmacy: Michael Ibrahim, Community pharmacist Long term care home/retirement homes: Peter Bolland, LTC Representative Joyce Penney, Tri-County Mennonite Homes/Greenwood Court Jeff Renault, Ritz Lutheran Villa Mental Health and Addictions: Catherine Hardman, Choices for Change Municipalities: Neil Anderson, Stratford CEMC Dave Clarke, Huron County CEMC Michaela Johnston, Goderich CEMC Todd McKone, Perth County CEMC Home Care: Kathy Scanlon, One Care Community Support Services: Kathy Scanlon, One Care Developmental Services: Amanda Price, Community Living Stratford Hospital: Karl Ellis, Wingham Listowel Hospitals Association \| email: karl.ellis@lwha.ca Jimmy Trieu, Alexandra Marine and General Hospital and South Huron Hospital Association Andrew Williams, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance Ontario Health team Paramedic Services: Mike Adair, Perth County Paramedic Services Jeff Horseman, Huron County Emergency Services \| email: jhorseman@huroncounty.ca Primary Care: Mary Atkinson, North Perth Family Team Dr. Paul Gill, Maitland Valley Family Health Team Dr. Kim Gilmour, Happy Valley Family Health Team Cate Melito, Grand Bend Area Community Health Centre Kim Van Wyk, Clinton Family Health Team Public Health: Dr. Miriam Klassen, Medical Officer of Health, Huron Perth Public Health Tanya Sangster (chair), Director of Community and Family Health (currently deployed to COVID), Huron Perth Public Health Jacqui Tam, Manager of Vaccine Preventable Diseases Team, Huron Perth Public Health
HPMVAC Weekly Memos
HPMVAC Vaccination Update, April 15, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, April 8, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, April 1, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, March 25, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, March 18, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, March 11, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, March 4, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, February 25, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, February 18, 2021 HPMVAC Vaccination Update, February 11, 2021

HPMVAC Membership Representatives

Community Representative:
- Barb Fewster
Community Pharmacy:
- Michael Ibrahim, Community pharmacist
Long term care home/retirement homes:
- Peter Bolland, LTC Representative
- Joyce Penney, Tri-County Mennonite Homes/Greenwood Court
- Jeff Renault, Ritz Lutheran Villa
Mental Health and Addictions:
- Catherine Hardman, Choices for Change
Municipalities:
- Neil Anderson, Stratford CEMC
- Dave Clarke, Huron County CEMC
- Michaela Johnston, Goderich CEMC
- Todd McKone, Perth County CEMC
Home Care:
- Kathy Scanlon, One Care
Community Support Services:
- Kathy Scanlon, One Care
Developmental Services:
- Amanda Price, Community Living Stratford
Hospital:
- Karl Ellis, Wingham Listowel Hospitals Association | email: karl.ellis@lwha.ca
- Jimmy Trieu, Alexandra Marine and General Hospital and South Huron Hospital Association
- Andrew Williams, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Ontario Health team
Paramedic Services:
- Mike Adair, Perth County Paramedic Services
- Jeff Horseman, Huron County Emergency Services | email: jhorseman@huroncounty.ca
Primary Care:
- Mary Atkinson, North Perth Family Team
- Dr. Paul Gill, Maitland Valley Family Health Team
- Dr. Kim Gilmour, Happy Valley Family Health Team
- Cate Melito, Grand Bend Area Community Health Centre
- Kim Van Wyk, Clinton Family Health Team
Public Health:
- Dr. Miriam Klassen, Medical Officer of Health, Huron Perth Public Health
- Tanya Sangster (chair), Director of Community and Family Health (currently deployed to COVID), Huron Perth Public Health
- Jacqui Tam, Manager of Vaccine Preventable Diseases Team, Huron Perth Public Health