Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine
Anyone turning 12 in 2021 or older can drop-in to a COVID-19 public health vaccination clinic for their first or second dose (No appointment needed). Appointments are required for children aged 5 – 11 and for those eligible their third dose.
As of 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, children aged 5 to 11 will be eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through a variety of channels including the COVID-19 vaccination portal and contact centre, participating pharmacies which individuals can find on Ontario’s website using the pharmacy locator, and select primary care providers. To book an appointment online, children must be turning five years old by the end of 2021 (born in 2016).
Eligible individuals can book their third dose appointment through the COVID-19 Vaccination Portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre. If local clinics are not viewable on this date, they will be added in the coming days. Please do not call the Health Unit to try to book your appointment.
Who is Eligible for Third Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine
To book your appointment by phone, call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.
Book Appointment
Select pharmacies and primary care settings are booking first, second and third dose vaccination appointments for those who are eligible. Find out more about participating pharmacies and how to make an appointment here:
Find a Pharmacy
Select primary care providers will be administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals who are interested in booking their COVID-19 vaccine appointment with their primary care provider will need to reach out to their primary care provider to confirm whether they are offering the vaccine. Participating primary care providers will use their own appointment booking systems, not the provincial portal.
- Call 211 and ask about transportation.
- GTR Transportation: https://bit.ly/2SvZcZ8 for routes and fares.
- Do you have a physical disability or mobility issue and no acess to safe transportation during COVID-19? The Acessible Drive to Vaccines Program provides door-to-door rides to vaccination sites for people with disabilities, including seniors with mobility issues, who face challenges accessing safe transportation. For more information or to Request a Ride.
The Ministry of Health is recommending an interval of 8 weeks between first and second doses. There is emerging evidence that longer intervals between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines result in more robust and durable immune response and higher vaccine effectiveness. You may still be able to receive your second COVID-19 vaccine 28 days after your first mRNA vaccine (Pfizer Comirnaty or Moderna Spikevax). The decision to use the shorter than recommended dose interval should consider local transmission of the virus, individual risk of exposure, and need for earlier protection.
There are many vaccine clinics offered in Grey Bruce. Please see our vaccine schedule at https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/ for more information. Select primary care and pharmacies are also offering COVID-19 vaccines. To find your closest pharmacy visit: COVID-19 pharmacy vaccine locations (ontario.ca).
Anyone 5 years of age and older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Following Health Canada’s approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, appointments can be booked beginning Tuesday, November 23, 2021
On June 3, 2021 Ontario updated guidance for individuals who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and who have not yet received their second dose, to allow for the mixing of COVID-19 vaccines if desired. This decision is in alignment with updated guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendation. Ontario Updating AstraZeneca Second Dose Guidance | Ontario Newsroom. Ontarians who have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can choose to either receive a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, or an mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) vaccine for their second dose. Both second-dose options available to individuals who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are safe and provide strong protection against COVID-19 and will count as a completed series.
On June 12th, 2021, Ontario accelerated the second dose interval for individuals who received their first dose of an AstraZeneca vaccine. With informed consent, individuals can choose between a second dose of AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine, at an 8 to 12-week interval, recognizing that while waiting 12 weeks helps to ultimately provide more protection, some may choose to receive their second dose sooner to have the increased protection provided by a second dose earlier. All of these options provide protection against COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and have been deemed safe.
Individuals who wish to receive an mRNA vaccine for their second dose can visit a Grey Bruce vaccination clinic or a participating pharmacy. For individuals who wish to receive second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, individuals can contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose.
Ontario Accelerates Second Doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine | Ontario Newsroom
If you has an AstraZeneca / COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccine as your first dose, you have a choice about the type of vaccine you would like for your second dose. COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Individuals who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccine (gov.on.ca).
Yes. Until a vaccine is widely available and a large percentage of the population becomes immune to COVID-19, we all have to continue to follow public health measures and rules for our region and continue to take everyday actions to help stop the spread of the virus. Why?
- While the vaccine(s) offers protection against COVID-19, there is not sufficient data yet on prevention of transmission.
- It takes time for a vaccine to develop its protective effects (i.e. a month or longer).
- We are still experiencing high COVID-19 infection rates, which has placed intense strain on our hospitals and health systems, as well as the health care workers who have been on the front lines of this crisis for many months.
- Not everyone will get the vaccine, meaning there will still be a risk of transmission.
- For more information: About COVID-19 Vaccines (publichealthgreybruce.on.ca)
For these reasons it is important that everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, continue to physical distance, wear a mask when we can, and wash/sanitize our hands frequently.
After you are vaccinated, you can log in to the provincial portal to download or print an electronic COVID-19 vaccine receipt (PDF) for each dose you have received.
Receipts are available:
- for first and second doses received in Ontario (once you get them)
- regardless of where you were vaccinated (for example, at a mass immunization clinic, hospital, pharmacy or primary care setting)
To log in and get your receipt, you will need:
- a green photo health (OHIP) card (you will need numbers from both the front and back of the card, expired cards will be accepted)
- your date of birth
- your postal code (the one associated with your health card)
Visit: https://covid19.ontariohealth.ca/
If you have a red and white health card, call the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900. The call centre agent can email you a copy of your receipt.
How do I get a vaccine receipt printed?
Individuals who received their first dose or both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine outside of the province are now able to register their vaccination through their local public health unit. Please email the Grey Bruce Health Unit as covid19.vaccine@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca for help with registering your vaccine. If you are not able to email, call 519-376-9420.
Individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccine outside of Ontario or Canada are required to provide proof, such as a vaccination receipt or certificate, to their public health unit in order to be registered in the system. Once complete, these individuals will be able to book their second dose appointment through the provincial booking system, public health units that use their own booking system or participating pharmacies and primary care settings at an interval that aligns with Ontario’s vaccine strategy..
Currently, the following four COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for use by Health Canada: Pfizer-BioNTech (mRNA), Moderna (mRNA), AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (viral vector) and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (viral vector). A number of vaccines are available in other countries that are not authorized for use in Canada.
Individuals who have received a partial or complete COVID-19 vaccine series outside of Ontario or Canada should contact their local public health unit to have their COVID-19 immunization record documented in COVaxON prior to receiving any additional doses and for their vaccination receipts.
Individuals who have proof of immunization and have received a complete one or two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine that is not authorized for use by Health Canada will be offered one additional dose of an mRNA vaccine.
- The minimum interval between the preceding dose and the additional dose should be 28 days.
- If the individual has already received three doses of a non-Health Canada authorized COVID-19 vaccine at the appropriate interval, no additional doses should be offered at this time.
Individuals who have proof of immunization and have received an incomplete series of a non-Health Canada authorized vaccine, should receive one additional dose of an mRNA vaccine.
- The minimum interval between the preceding dose and the additional dose should be 28 days.
See Ontario’s COVID-19 Guidance for Individuals Vaccinated outside of Ontario/Canada for more.
Grey Bruce COVID-19 Vaccine Experience Survey
If you have received a COVID-19 vaccination in Grey Bruce, please use this short survey to tell us about your experience. Your feedback is important to us. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GBC19VFB