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3rd Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine

Members of the general public are not yet eligible for 3rd doses in Ontario. We will update this web post as eligibility changes. If you are a client of the centre, please ensure we have your email address on file. We will send an email to clients as they become eligible for a 3rd dose.

Current eligibility for 3rd doses:

At this time 3rd doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are being offered to the following populations:

• Individuals receiving active treatment1 (e.g., chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy) for solid tumour or hematologic malignancies
• Recipients of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy

If you think you may be eligible for a 3rd dose please speak to your primary care provider to get a referral.

COVID-19 Links and Information

Vaccine Hesitancy? Click this link for more information.

English Vaccine Bulletin PDF
Versions in other languages

Vaccine Eligibility

COVID-19 VACCINE INFORMATION FOR EAST TORONTO
COVID-19 Vaccine 2nd dose appointments

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.

The closest COVID-19 Assessment Centre is located at Michael Garron Hospital.

Information about other COVID-19 Assessment Centres in Toronto is available at the following link: https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-health-advice/covid-19-assessment-centres/

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:

1. 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

2. 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.

Current Appointment Practices

1. Please don't arrive early for appointments as we want as few people in waiting room as possible
2. don't wear gloves inside the centre, hand sanitize instead
3. don't bring another person with you to the appointment unless absolutely necessary and if possible have them wait outside
4. please don't enter the vestibule if someone is already there. Wait until they move into waiting room.

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).