Health Care Providers COVID-19 Vaccine Information

COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance (Ministry of Health)
COVID-19 vaccines: Canadian Immunization Guide (Government of Canada)

Vaccine Interchangeability

As per NACI, either an mRNA or protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine can be used in unvaccinated or previously vaccinated individuals who do not have contraindications to the vaccine. mRNA XBB COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for those six months of age and older and Novavax XBB is authorized for 12 years of age and older. Regardless of which product is offered to start a vaccine series, the previous dose should be counted, and the series need not be restarted.

There are no data available on the interchangeability of Novavax XBB with other COVID-19 vaccines to complete the vaccination series.

Pregnancy/Breastfeeding

COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is effective at protecting pregnant individuals against severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalization, and ICU admission from COVID-19 infection, as well as intubation and mortality in those with severe disease. Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals should receive all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses as soon as they are able.

In addition to protecting the pregnant individual, the benefits of immunization during pregnancy for the fetus and infants have also been well-documented. Protective antibodies are transferred to the fetus transplacentally, resulting in increased protection for the infant during the early postnatal period when they are not yet eligible for vaccination (CIG, 2023).

Recommendations for vaccination during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding:

A COVID-19 vaccine may be offered at any stage of the pregnancy (i.e., in any trimester).
COVID-19 vaccines may be co-administered with other vaccines recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
NACI strongly recommends that individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding receive all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses.

There have been no serious safety concerns with receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy or lactation. Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals experience the same rates of expected local and systemic adverse events as individuals who are not pregnant and/or breastfeeding. Vaccination during pregnancy does not increase risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm birth, NICU admission or other adverse pregnancy/birth outcomes. Similarly, studies have not found any negative impact of vaccination on the child being fed human milk or on milk production or excretion. In fact, protective antibodies transferred to the child via breast milk, can help protect the infant during the early postnatal period when they are not yet eligible for vaccination.

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy

Conversations in Vaccine Confidence, a Guide and Toolkit (OCAD University, VaxFacts Clinic, Scarborough Health Network, Fall 2021)
VaxFacts Poster
SickKids Immunization InfoLine

COVAXon Basics for Health Care Providers

Getting Involved in COVID-19 Vaccine Administration

How do I order COVID-19 vaccine for my practice/clinic?

If you're interested in ordering COVID-19 vaccine for your practice and/or clinic, please contact us at covidinventory@healthunit.ca.

In order to provide COVID-19 vaccine in the province of Ontario, you must have access to the Covax documentation system.

We can request access to Covax for you and/or your staff and can provide a brief virtual orientation session to Covax and the COVID-19 vaccine ordering process. Please contact the Health Unit at covax@healthunit.ca for more information.

If you are a pharmacy and would like to start offering the COVID-19 vaccine, you must contact the Ontario Pharmacists Association for further direction on how to get involved in the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.

COVID-19 vaccine allocation is provided to pharmacies directly from the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Ontario Pharmacists Association.

Pharmacies use Covax for documentation and can reach out to us for further information and/or training related to Covax.

How to Request Access to Covax

Covax is the provincial documentation system for the COVID-19 vaccine. In order to provide vaccination in Ontario, you must have a profile in the Covax.

We can request access to Covax for you and/or your staff and can provide orientation to Covax and the COVID-19 vaccine ordering process. Please contact us at covax@healthunit.ca for further information.

How to Set a Password

You will receive an email from Salesforce, which contains a link. When you click on this link it will provide you with prompts to successfully set up your password. The link found in the email is only active for a 24-hour period. You can contact us or call or Covax Support at 1-888-333-0640 to request a password reset if the link is no longer active.

Covax is web-browser sensitive and the following web-browsers are recommended:

Safari
Edge
Mozilla Firefox
Chrome

2-Step Authentication

Each time you log on to Covax, you will need to validate your identity using Two-factor Authentication (2FA), (often referred to as 2-step authentication) which adds a second layer of security.

You will need to download the free Salesforce Authenticator App on your personal cell phone at the same time as you set up your Covax account.

You will be prompted to use the 2-factor authentication each time you sign into Covax, and will need your cell phone each time you log on.

How to Log On and Off

Open a new tab in your web browser and go to covaxon.my.salesforce.com.

Log on with your username and password. You will then be prompted to the 2-factor authentication using your personal cell phone.

You can contact the provincial COVAXon support services desk at 1-888-333-0640 if you are having any difficulty logging on.

Log off can be found in the top right-hand corner of the Covax screen when you click on the little creature in the circle.

Covax is web-browser sensitive and the following web-browsers are recommended:

Safari
Edge
Mozilla Firefox
Chrome

How to Request a Password Reset

Why my account isn't working (30 day de-activation) and how to resolve

Covax accounts are disabled after a 30-day period with no activity.

We are able to reactivate your Covax account. Please contact us at covax@healthunit.ca to request a reactivation of your account.

How to Search for Clients

Using the tabs on the top of the Covax page, click on the ‘Client Search’ tab. This will open a window requesting the client's Ontario Health Card Number. Enter the Health Card number.

If the client has been entered into Covax, the search will generate a result.
If the client has not been entered into Covax, you will be prompted to search for the client using different parameters such as First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, etc. If no client is found with these additional identifiers, it will prompt you to search the Ontario Health Card Provincial registry using the health card number.
If client has an Ontario Health Card number they will be found in the provincial registry, even if the client has an expired health card or an older red and white health card.
If a client has an Ontario Health Card and are not found in the system, please contact the COVaxon Support Desk Services for support. Do not create a new client record for client unless directed by the support desk.

In Ontario, we provide free vaccine to all people, regardless of whether they are a permanent resident of Ontario. In the instance of vaccinating a client who does not have an Ontario Health Card, they will not be in the provincial registry and you may have to create the client.

If this is the client's second dose of vaccine in Ontario, they will be in Covax. If this is the first dose of vaccine in Ontario, they may not be in Covax.

Select the ‘HCN unavailable’ box and use other search parameters to attempt to search for client in Covax. If not found, create a new client record for client.

New Immunization

This function is found in the upper right-hand corner of the client file. Once a client is connected to the correct vaccination event, you are able to click on the New Immunization function to document that the client has received the vaccine and send the vaccine receipt to client via email.

Contact us at covax@healthunit.ca if you are having any difficulty using these functions in Covax, finding the correct vaccination event, or finding active inventory in the vaccination event.

Vaccination Events

A vaccination event is a clinic and/or location that a client is receiving a vaccine. The vaccination event is created by the Health Unit when a vaccination order is made and will be reused for all future vaccine orders from your organization.

When the vaccine is physically allocated to different locations the vaccination event is virtually allocated the vaccine. All clients who are vaccinated at a specific location need to be connected to the vaccination event in order to have their dose documented.

Contact the Health Unit at covax@healthunit.ca if you are having difficulty finding the correct vaccination event, or finding active inventory in the vaccination event.

Note: Vaccination events can represent a mobile clinic, and are not necessarily physical locations.

Inventory Reconciliation

Complete the inventory form after each day that COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered.

Offices can monitor their own inventory at the vaccination event level. At the end of each day that your office/clinic/practice administers vaccine, ensure that your physical inventory matches the Covax inventory.

Covax automatically adjusts inventory for all doses administered; however, all wastage, extra doses, or clients who do not provide consent will need to be adjusted manually. For more information on how to make these adjustments to the virtual inventory, the Health Unit can provide a 15-minute virtual live demonstration on how to make the adjustments.

Emerging Research

Emerging Topics: Synopsis of COVID-19 Key Research Articles (Public Health Ontario)

COVID-19 epidemiology update: Summary (Government of Canada)

COVID-19 Serology

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Serology

COVID-19 Antibody (Serology) Testing – Information for Patients