New COVID-19 Vaccination Policies for High-Risk Settings and Individuals
In response to evolving data around the transmissibility of the Delta variant and based on the recent experiences of other jurisdictions, the Ontario government is taking action to increase protection for our most vulnerable. This includes making COVID-19 vaccination policies mandatory in high-risk settings, pausing the province’s exit from the Roadmap to Reopen and providing third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to highest-risk populations. The government is also expanding eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine to children born in 2009 or earlier.
High-Risk Settings – Vaccination Policies
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has issued a new directive mandating all high-risk settings to have a COVID-19 vaccination policy in effect no later than September 7, 2021. This includes all employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers in hospitals, home and community care settings, and ambulatory services. This policy will require these individuals to provide proof of one of these three things:
- Full vaccination against COVID-19;
- A medical reason for not being vaccinated against COVID-19; or
- Completion of a COVID-19 vaccination educational session.
These high-risk settings will be required to track and report the implementation of their policies to the provincial government including the number of individuals in each of the three categories listed above. This statistical information may be made public.
Individuals who are fully vaccinated can prove this by showing the physical or emailed receipt that was provided to them at the time of vaccination. Vaccination receipts can also be downloaded or printed through the provincial portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900.
Individuals who are not fully vaccinated will be required to undertake regular antigen testing and demonstrate continued negative testing results verified by their employer. These organizations can access free antigen point of care tests through the Provincial Antigen Screening Program. Details can be found here.
Public and private schools, as well as licensed childcare settings will eventually be required to have their own vaccination disclosure policy, with rapid antigen testing requirements for staff who are not immunized against COVID-19. The Ministry of Education is working with schools and public health units to run voluntary vaccination clinics in or nearby schools to make vaccines more accessible and convenient for those eligible.
Additional vaccination policies will be implemented in other higher-risk settings such as:
· Post-secondary institutions,
· Licensed retirement homes,
· Women’s shelters, and
· Congregate group homes and day programs for adults with developmental disabilities,
· Children’s treatment centres and other services for children with special needs, and
· Licensed children’s residential settings.
Highest-Risk Individuals – Third Dose
The following highest-risk individuals will soon be eligible for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, providing them with an extra layer of protection against the Delta variant.
· Transplant recipients (including solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplants);
· Patients with hematological cancers (i.e., lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia) on active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy);
· Recipients of an anti-CD20 agent (e.g. rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab); and
· Residents of high-risk congregate settings including long-term care homes, higher-risk licensed retirement homes and First Nations elder care lodges.
Locations and timing for third doses will vary by public health unit and high-risk population based on local planning and considerations, with some beginning as early as this week where opportunities exist.
For more information, read the full announcement here.