COVID-19 Vaccine

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COVID-19 vaccine

The Province’s three-phase COVID-19 vaccination program is now in Phase 1. As supply increases, the vaccine will become available to additional populations at greatest risk of COVID-19 and those who care for them in Phase 2. Vaccines will be widely available to the general population in Phase 3, which could start as early as August 2021. Visit the Government of Ontario website for more information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario.

Pre-registration is now open to Phase 1 high priority groups. As more supply becomes available, communication about where and when residents can receive a vaccine will be shared broadly. Tools for this communication will include web, social media, and traditional media (radio, TV and newspaper) as well as regulatory bodies, professional groups and through community partners like primary care providers and pharmacists

Vaccine Pre-registration for Priority Groups

COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs

Waterloo Region COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force

Vaccine Distribution Summary

Vaccine Communications Toolkit

COVID-19 vaccines

Safe and reliable vaccines can help protect you and your family from COVID-19. They will be an important tool to help stop the spread of the virus. The province is leading distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario. For more information, please visit COVID-19 vaccines for Ontario.

Health Canada have authorized three COVID-19 vaccines for use in Canada: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca. Several other vaccines are currently at various stages of regulatory approval by Health Canada. Vaccine manufacturers were encouraged to apply through the interim order process, which allowed Health Canada to start the review process much sooner than usual. This allows them to submit all new data and evidence as it becomes available, instead of waiting until all studies are completed.

The federal government dedicated more scientific, financial and human resources to complete these reviews, so that they were done as quickly as possible.

Health Canada’s independent evaluation of scientific and medical evidence for safety, efficacy and quality of COVID-19 vaccines has been maintained, and Health Canada will make publicly available any safety and efficacy evidence used to issue expedited authorization. For more information, download this infographic about vaccine development and approval in Canada.

Until extensive immunization is achieved, public health measures will continue to be essential to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in Waterloo Region.

When will vaccines be available?

It will take time before there's enough vaccine for everyone in Canada. This is why the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization have identified priority populations for the first doses of the vaccines.

Pre-registration is now open to Phase 1 high priority groups.

Vaccines will be available to the general public in Phase 3 of the Government of Ontario's three-phase vaccination program. This could start as early as August 2021, depending on supply. Phase 1 of the program is still underway. Visit the Government of Ontario's website for more information on Ontario’s vaccination program.

As more supply becomes available, communication about where and when residents can receive a vaccine will be shared broadly.

Pre-registration is now open to Phase 1 high priority groups. Pre-registering is the fastest way to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment booked. We strongly recommend pre-registration for people in all eligible priority groups.
To learn more and pre-register visit our COVID-19 Vaccination Pre-Registration page.

Refer to the Waterloo Region COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan and the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Placemat for more information about vaccine distribution in Waterloo Region.
Visit our COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force page for local distribution updates.
Five types of clinics are being planned in Waterloo Region to ensure vaccine is available in the most appropriate and accessible location as quickly as possible. More information about these clinics will be posted when it is available.

Where can I go to get my COVID-19 vaccine? (Infographic)

Who is included in each phase and how will they be notified?

Phase 1 - December 2020 to March 2021 (Pre-registration NOW OPEN)

residents, staff, essential caregivers, and other employees of congregate living settings that provide care for seniors
adults in First Nations, Metis and Inuit populations
adult chronic home care recipients
health care workers, prioritized in accordance with the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Guidance for Prioritizing Health Care Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination.
adults 80 years of age and older
- The Government of Ontario recently announced that adults 80 and older are now eligible for vaccine in Phase 1. However, due to limited vaccine supply, vaccination of this priority group is not expected to begin until early March 2021.

How will groups in Phase 1 be notified when it is their turn to get a vaccine?

Pre-registration is now open to Phase 1 high priority groups. To learn more and pre-register visit our COVID-19 Vaccination Pre-Registration page.
Groups will be notified directly (e.g. by their facility or employer) when it is their turn for vaccination. This communication will include information about when and where they can get vaccinated.
Adults 80 years of age and older will be notified through a variety of communication tools about when and where they can get vaccinated. The Task Force will work closely with local health care partners, including primary care physicians, to identify patients 80 and over and ensure they are informed.
The Region of Waterloo and Public Health are not currently booking appointments for groups in this phase.

Visit the Province’s website for more details about Phase 1 in Ontario.

Phase 2 - April to July 2021

older adults, beginning with those 79 years of age and decreasing in five year increments over the course of the vaccine rollout
people who live and work in high-risk congregate settings (for example, shelters, community living)
frontline essential workers, including first responders, education workers and the food processing industry
individuals with high-risk chronic conditions and their caregivers
other populations and communities facing barriers related to the determinants of health across Ontario who are at greater COVID-19 risk

How will groups in Phase 2 be notified when it is their turn to get a vaccine?

The Task Force will use a variety of communication channels to reach those who are eligible in Phase 2 with information about when and where they can get vaccinated.
- Tools for communication will include: web, social media, and traditional media (radio, TV and newspaper) as well as regulatory bodies, professional groups and through community partners like primary care providers and pharmacists.
The Region of Waterloo and Public Health are not currently booking appointments for groups in this phase. The provincial government is working on a central booking system that is not yet available for use. When a booking system is in place, including a local pre-registration system, the Task Force will communicate broadly using the tools listed above to ensure local residents are aware and can be registered.

Visit the Province’s website for more details about Phase 2 in Ontario.

Phase 3 - August to December 2021

Remaining Ontarians in the general population who wish to be vaccinated

How will the general population be notified when it is their turn to get a vaccine?

The Task Force will use a variety of communication channels to reach those who are eligible in Phase 3 with information about when and where they can get vaccinated.
- Tools for communication will include: web, social media, and traditional media (radio, TV and newspaper) as well as regulatory bodies, professional groups and through community partners like primary care providers and pharmacists.
The Region of Waterloo and Public Health are not currently booking appointments for groups in this phase. The provincial government is working on a central booking system that is not yet available for use. When a booking system is in place, including a local pre-registration system, the Task Force will communicate broadly using the tools listed above to ensure local residents are aware and can be registered.

Visit the Province’s website for more details about Phase 3 in Ontario.

Who will get a vaccine?

At this time, the Government of Ontario is prioritizing vaccines for people who are most vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19 or at increased risk of being exposed to the virus.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is currently approved for use in people 16 years of age and over.
Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved for use in people 18 years of age and over.

Further clinical trials are underway with children of all age groups, so the vaccine could be approved for use in children in the future.

The vaccines are free and will be accessible to everyone in Canada as supply becomes available over the course of 2021.

How do the vaccines work?

Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defences to build protection.

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are an mRNA vaccine. This vaccine tells your body's cells to make "spike proteins." The spike proteins are specific to the virus that causes COVID-19. Your immune system will respond to the spike proteins by making antibodies that will fight off infection. Your new antibodies will break down the spike proteins and get rid of them.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is a viral vector-based vaccine. These types of vaccines use a harmless virus (in this case, the adenovirus) as a delivery system. The vector virus used is not the virus that causes COVID-19. When a person is given this vaccine, the vector virus contained within the vaccine produces the spike protein. This protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. This protein will not make you sick. It does its job and goes away. Through this process, the body is able to build a strong immune response against the spike protein without exposing you to the virus that causes COVID-19.

The vaccines cannot give you COVID-19.

Learn more about safety after authorization.

Are the vaccines effective?

There are differences between the authorized vaccines. Select a vaccine below to learn more:

Pfizer-BioNTech

Two doses of the vaccine are required for full protection. It can be given to people 16 years of age and older. After completing the two-doses, it may take another seven days to achieve maximum protection against COVID-19. At this time, there is no information on the long-term protection with this vaccine. In clinical trials, the vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 beginning 1 week after the second dose.

Moderna

Two doses of the vaccine are required for full protection. It can be given to people 18 years of age and older. After completing the two-doses, it may take another 14 days to achieve maximum protection against COVID-19. At this time, there is no information on the long-term protection with this vaccine. In clinical trials, the vaccine was 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 beginning 2 weeks after the second dose.

AstraZeneca

Two doses of the vaccine are required for full protection. It can be given to people 18 years of age and older. It takes about 2 weeks to develop significant protection against COVID-19. For the greatest protection, you will need the second dose. At this time, there is no information on the long-term protection with this vaccine. In clinical trials, the vaccine was 62% effective in preventing COVID-19 beginning 2 weeks after the second dose.

There is a small chance that you may still get COVID-19 after being vaccinated. As such, it is very important to continue with public health measures such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, and staying home if you are sick. Health care and other staff must still wear personal protective equipment (PPE) even after they have been vaccinated.

Side effects

Some people may experience side effects from the vaccines, but they will likely be moderate and resolve after a few days. Some of the symptoms are part of the body’s response to developing immunity.

Common side effects that have been reported in the clinical trials for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine include:

Very common ≥10% (more than 1 in 10 doses)	Common 1-10% (1 in 100 to 1 in 10 doses)	Uncommon 1% (1 in 100 doses)	Very rare
Pain at the injection site Headache Feeling tired Muscle or joint pain Fever or chills	Redness and swelling at the injection site	Enlarged lymph nodes	Serious allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis

In rare cases, serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) can occur. Allergic reactions can be treated and are usually temporary. Vaccine side effects will continue to be monitored as people receive the vaccine. If you have a reaction to the vaccine, it is important to contact your health care provider who will report the side effect directly to public health. As part of the surveillance work, public health will keep track of the reported side effects and adjust its guidance as required.

Precautions

Delay getting vaccinated if you have a fever or are sick with COVID-19 symptoms
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to have a baby*
Avoid trying to get pregnant for at least two months after getting both doses of the vaccine
If you have an autoimmune disorder or a weakened immune system due to illness or treatment*
People with a bleeding disorders or who are on blood thinner medications should consult their health care provider before getting vaccinated

* These groups were not part of the initial clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your health care provider first to inform your decision making process.

Do not get this vaccine, if you

are under 16 years of age Pfizer-BioNTech / 18 years of age Moderna, AstraZeneca
have allergies to any vaccine ingredients, including polyethylene glycol
have a severe reaction to a previous dose of this vaccine

Protect yourself and others

The spread of the virus will slow down or stop when a large percentage of the population becomes immune to COVID-19. This is known as herd immunity. Experts do not know what percentage of people would need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19.

While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue practicing public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Until vaccines are widely available, we all must continue to:

Avoid social gatherings with those outside your immediate household
Limit non-essential trips outside your home
Practice physical distancing
Wear a face covering
Wash your hands often with warm water and soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Avoid enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded places
Stay home when you are sick

Resources

Availability and distribution

Waterloo Region COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan - February 12, 2021 (Region of Waterloo)
Waterloo Region Five Types of Clinics - February 12, 2021 (Region of Waterloo)
Waterloo Region COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Placemat (Region of Waterloo)
Waterloo Region COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force (Region of Waterloo)
Ontario COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Placemat (Province of Ontario)
COVID-19 vaccine ethical framework for distribution (Province of Ontario)
COVID-19 vaccines for Ontario (Province of Ontario)
COVID-19 vaccination guidance for prioritizing health care workers (Ministry of Health)

Guidance and safety

COVID-19 about vaccines (Ministry of Health)
COVID-19 how vaccines are developed (video) (Government of Canada)
COVID-19 vaccine development and approval in Canada (infographic) (Government of Canada)
COVID-19 vaccine after care sheet (Ministry of Health)
COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (Region of Waterloo Public Health)
COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for special populations (Ministry of Health)
COVID-19 vaccine safety (Province of Ontario)
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario (Province of Ontario)
Recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines (NACI)
Resources for Health Professionals (Region of Waterloo Public Health)

Translated resources

The Public Health Agency of Canada have developed a COVID-19 vaccine tip sheet that is available in French, Arabic, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish, Tamil, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Simplified Chinese, German and many other languages.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine and download the tip sheet in one of many languages on the Government of Canada What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine for Canada web page.

Download this information as a PDF: