If you received your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine more than 3 months ago and you are 18 years or older, you are now eligible to book an appointment for your third dose booster.
East End Community Health Centre cares about your health and well-being and wants to ensure you are fully protected against COVID-19. Evidence is emerging that vaccine effectiveness against asymptomatic infection and mild COVID-19 disease may decrease with time. This suggests an increased risk of exposure and serious illness with age, especially for individuals with underlying medical conditions.
Research suggests inter-changing vaccines is safe and effective. You can safely take either Moderna or Pfizer as your booster dose for strong protection against COVID-19, regardless of which vaccine brand you received as your first or second dose. If you wish to receive a booster vaccination you can book an appointment at East End Community Health Centre by calling 416-778-5858or click below to book your appointment online.
COVID-19 Vaccine appointments now available for children aged 5 to 11
First-dose appointments for children aged 5 to 11 are now available at East End Community Health Centre (CHC). Starting today, parents, guardians and caregivers of children aged 5 to 11 can book a first-dose appointment at East End CHC by calling 416-778-5858.
We encourage all children aged 5 to 11 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This will help protect them from serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19; increase protection in their family and the whole community; and help children safely get back to the things they love, which is vital for their health, happiness and development.
If you have questions about the vaccine for this age group please see the following resources:
Please do not visit the Centre without an appointment
If you require care, please call our Centre. Your call will be triaged to determine if you require an office visit, video visit or phone visit. Due to COVID-19, at this time there is limited availability for in-person appointments.
The health of clients and staff is our priority. All visitors to East End Community Health Centre will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before entering the building. Please use the front entrance on Queen Street. The side entrance on Coxwell is closed.
All in-person group activities are cancelled until further notice.
Health care providers may call from a “blocked” number – please answer.
If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please start by visiting the Ministry of Health website and taking their self-assessment . If you are sick with mild cold or flu symptoms, you do not need to come into the clinic to be seen. You should stay home until your symptoms have resolved. If you have questions or concerns please call and ask to speak with one of our team.
East End Community Health Centre is not providing COVID-19 testing to the general public.
To ensure that anyone in need of care can receive it, the Ontario Ministry of Health is waiving the three-month waiting period for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage. Additionally, the province will cover the cost of COVID-19 services for uninsured people who do not meet the criteria for OHIP coverage. Together, these measures will ensure that no one will be discouraged from seeking screening or treatment for COVID-19 for financial reasons.
COVID-19 Information
As more workplaces require COVID-19 vaccination, we started to see high number of requests for medical exemption letters. At East End Community Health Centre we need to ensure we are only allowing COVID-19 vaccine exemptions in the few situations where they are needed.
There are very few acceptable medical exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccination which include:
a confirmed severe allergy or anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to any of its components (ingredients) that cannot be avoided
or
a diagnosed episode of myocarditis/pericarditis (heart conditions) after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna.
These are rare cases and vaccines have been proven to be both safe and effective. Any notes written for patients who meet one of the reasons for a medical exemption will clearly specify:
the reason they cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19 (for example, document clear medical information that supports the exemption);
and
the time period for the medical reason (for example, permanent or time-limited).
If you have any questions or concerns about receiving the COVID 19 vaccine please book an appointment with your health care provider.
Please don't arrive early for appointments as we want as few people in waiting room as possible
don't wear gloves inside the centre, hand sanitize instead
don't bring another person with you to the appointment unless absolutely necessary and if possible have them wait outside
please don't enter the vestibule if someone is already there. Wait until they move into waiting room.
Virtual Care Security
COVID-19 is placing stress on Canada's public health system. Our health service is starting to offer virtual care to make sure that we can continue to care for our patients safely and effectively. This means that we will be using video and audio technologies for some patient visits rather than asking all patients to come into our office. We do our best to make sure that any information you give to us during virtual care visits is private and secure, but no video or audio tools are ever completely secure. There is an increased security risk that your health information may be intercepted or disclosed to third parties when using video or audio communications tools. To help us keep your information safe and secure, you can:
● Understand that video, emails, calls, or texts you may receive are not secure in the same way as a private appointment in an exam room.
● Use a private computer/device (i.e., not an employer's or third party's computer/device), secure accounts and a secure internet connection.For example, using a personal and encrypted email account is more secure than an unencrypted email account, and your access to the Internet on your home network will generally be more secure than an open guest Wi-Fi connection.
If you are concerned about using video or audio tools for virtual care, other arrangements can be made. However, please note that visiting a health care provider in person comes with a higher risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 and the possibility of spreading the virus.
By providing your information, you agree to let us collect, use, or disclose your personal health information through video or audio communications (while following applicable privacy laws) in order to provide you with care. In particular, the following means of electronic communication may be used (identify all that apply): email, videoconferencing (including Skype, Facetime, etc.), text messaging (including instant messaging), website/portal, other (specify).
If you have questions about COVID-19, call:
Toronto Public Health Hotline 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Telephone: 416-338-7600 TTY: 416-392-0658 Email:PublicHealth@toronto.ca
Health Canada Coronavirus Information Service: 1-833-784-4397
East End Community Health Centre provides primary care, health promotion and disease prevention services to the south-eastern quadrant of central Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
A unique aspect of our mandate is to reach out to people in our community who may have difficulty accessing health care due to factors such as language, culture, poverty, or the lack of health insurance.
We focus on the whole person in our approach and recognize that factors such as income, education, relationships and housing play a role in physical and mental health.
