COVID-19 vaccine update: Guidance for Individuals Vaccinated Outside of Ontario or Canada

Advisory Alert

February 4, 2022

*Cette information est seulement disponible en anglais.

 

To: Local Health System Partners

FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

Updated guidance for individuals vaccinated outside of Ontario

This advisory alert provides updates on the COVID-19 Guidance for Individuals Vaccinated Outside of Ontario (Government of Ontario, PDF) and the procedures to follow to record historical out of province (OOP) doses.

Reporting out of province COVID-19 vaccine doses

Any out of province COVID-19 immunization must be reported to Public Health. The information stated on the individual’s proof of immunization must be entered in COVaxON. Individuals can report their out of province (OOP) COVID-19 vaccination through an Authorized Organization (AO) such as a local public health unit (PHU) or participating pharmacy. If reporting an individual’s out of province dose to Public Health Sudbury & Districts, please fill out the Reporting your COVID-19 vaccination(s) in the provincial database (COVaxON) form (phsd.ca). Public health units have the ability to enter out of province and non-Ontario stock (NOS) doses within COVaxON under ‘historical dose administration’.

For Out of Province (OOP) doses:

An individual may have received COVID-19 vaccine doses outside of Ontario. As a result, this information would not be recorded in COVaxON and must be verified by a PHU or AO.

While historical out of province doses do not need to be entered in COVaxON prior to administration of additional doses in Ontario (see clinical process), it is recommended that all individuals consult with their local public health unit before attending a clinic. If individuals did not consult with their local public health unit and choose to present to a clinic, they must bring proof of previous vaccination. At the clinic, a Public Health Nurse will validate proof of previous vaccination prior to administering the next dose.

Following the clinic, to receive an enhanced vaccine certificate (with QR code) historical doses must be entered in COVaxON. This request can be made through local public health or another authorizing organization.

For Non-Ontario Stock (NOS) doses:

An individual may have received COVID-19 vaccine doses from non-Ontario stock (NOS) (i.e., Federal Stock used for correctional facilities, military groups, embassies, etc.). The historical NOS dose(s) can be recorded in COVaxON. The location that conducted the vaccination will provide a list of data to be entered in COVaxON by the PHU or AO.

Clinical Process

It is recommended that individuals report their out of province (OOP) or non-Ontario stock (NOS) dose(s) prior to presenting to a Public Health Sudbury & Districts COVID-19 vaccination clinic to receive additional doses. However, a client can receive a subsequent dose at the clinic before their OOP or NOS dose is entered into COVaxON if a Public Health Nurse has reviewed the OOP or NOS proof of vaccination to ensure it is authentic and the appropriate number of days has passed since the last dose.

Recommendation for additional doses for individuals vaccinated outside of Ontario/Canada

Individuals who received a partial series of COVID-19 vaccine authorized by Health Canada or received one or two COVID-19 vaccine doses not authorized for use by Health Canada (Government of Canada) should be offered an additional dose of mRNA vaccine to complete their series or their booster dose follow-up. Proper intervals between the preceding dose and the additional mRNA dose are required. For a complete list of recommendations for individuals vaccinated outside of Ontario or Canada read pages 6 to 12 of the COVID-19 Guidance for Individuals Vaccinated Outside of Ontario/Canada (Government of Ontario, PDF). See the COVID-19 Third Dose Recommendation Guidance for information on booster doses (Government of Ontario, PDF).

Additional info

For more information about out of province (OOP) doses and administering subsequent doses, read the Government of Ontario’s COVID-19 Guidance for Individuals Vaccinated Outside of Ontario/Canada (PDF) or call 705.522.9200 ext. 748.

 

Sincerely,

Original Signed By

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe
Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer

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This item was last modified on February 4, 2022