Phase of Provincial plan | Prioritized groups | Niagara's progress |
---|---|---|
Phase 1 - Group 1 |
|
Niagara completed vaccinations with first doses for this group in February. |
Phase 1 - Group 2 |
|
Niagara completed vaccinations with first doses for this group in February. |
Phase 1 - Group 3 |
|
Underway |
Phase 2 |
|
Underway |
Phase 3 |
|
Limited work started |
We understand there are concerns about how adult chronic home care recipients and their caregivers will be notified and how they will be vaccinated. Public Health is working on plans to address this.
No. The best vaccine you can get is the one that is available to you. All vaccines offered at our clinics have been approved by Health Canada.
Currently, Niagara Region Public Health is using Pfizer and Moderna. You will not be able to select between vaccine products. Learn more about vaccine development and approval in Canada.
All of the vaccines approved for use in Canada (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson) showed similar success in preventing the worst outcomes of COVID-19: hospitalizations and deaths. While the efficacy varied in preventing mild illness from COVID-19 between the four approved vaccines, all of them still showed a high degree of success in preventing mild illness in their respective studies.
Also, while each vaccine has been thoroughly studied and reviewed, there have not been trials to date that assessed these vaccines in the same study. This makes it hard to make accurate comparisons between these four vaccines.
You help protect yourself, your family and your community from COVID-19 by getting the first COVID-19 vaccine that becomes available to you. These vaccines will help stop the spread of the virus and allow us to safely return to normal.
COVID-19 can be a serious illness for anyone and for some people symptoms can last for months. The vaccine is safe and virtually eliminates the risk of serious illness and death. The benefits of vaccination outweigh any potential drawbacks.
The rapid development was made possible by decades of advances in vaccine technology. Specific research into coronaviruses gave a head start to developing a COVID-19 vaccine. Watch COVID-19: How vaccines are developed.
Selection involved a complex matrix of criteria, including:
No. There is no COVID-19 virus in the vaccine.
No. The vaccine doesn't change your DNA in any way.
Currently, experts believe the vaccine will work with the new strains, and some of the early research supports that.
Health Canada has released a COVID-19 vaccine safety in Canada dashboard.
You can attend the clinic appointment as a support person.
You need to book an appointment for yourself when you're eligible. Find out who can book an appointment in Niagara.
Some caregivers, if they are caring for someone with a high risk condition, will be part of Phase 2 vaccinations.
We ensure that everyone being vaccinated is part of the current priority group. Learn about the ethical framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Ontario.
If you had COVID-19 in the past, you're likely to have some immunity. Immunity to COVID-19 is still being studied, but is generally strong within 90 days of infection and can reduce over time. Where supply is available, people with past illness in the last 90 days are still recommended for vaccination since vaccine might provide better immunity than natural infection.
It's important for individuals to ask the health care professional performing the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination when to expect their second dose.
If your second dose vaccination appointment was cancelled, you will be notified about a second dose that will be given within the acceptable interval. For more information, contact the home where you received your first dose.
Most people who had a reaction to a prior vaccine can safely receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Check with your doctor or health care provider if you have had a serious allergic reaction to a vaccine in the past. They will look at your medical records and advise you accordingly.
Yes. If you have allergies that are not related to any components of the COVID-19 vaccine, you can still be vaccinated.
People who have had a serious allergic reaction, such as anaphylaxis, to a component of the COVID-19 vaccine cannot receive the vaccine. For the current COVID-19 vaccine, if you have an allergy to polyethylene glycol, you should not get vaccinated if your past reaction was severe. Others who have had a less serious, but immediate allergic reaction, should see their health care provider for guidance.
There are other groups where the vaccine has not been studied enough to be completely certain about its safety, but based on general scientific knowledge and experience with previous vaccines there are no reasons to think it would be unsafe.
We would generally recommend vaccination for people in the above groups with a high-risk of exposure to COVID-19, such as those working in long-term care and retirement homes. However, the potential risks and benefits should be discussed with your doctor or another healthcare provider.
The health care professional performing your COVID-19 vaccination will provide you with a client record. Keep this important handout with your own immunization records and let your health care provider know you were immunized.
Yes. Self-isolation for two weeks following travel is a requirement under federal law, and will continue to remain in effect for those who have received the vaccine. At this time, non-essential travel is not recommended.
No. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue practising public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19.