After a pause of roughly two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said it is resuming the regular publicly-funded vaccination program for young people.
PHSD said this will be done in a phased approach as there is an estimate that roughly 20,000 Sudbury area children and youth are overdue for routine childhood vaccinations.
PHSD said ensuring young people are up to date with their vaccinations is essential in preventing the resurgence of communicable diseases in our communities (such as pertussis, measles) for which vaccination is safe and effective.
"Public Health is now ramping up to provide this important service as part of Public Health’s recovery efforts," said a news release from PHSD.
The health unit said Phase One begins immediately (Week of March 7), prioritizing overdue children and adults.
PHSD said the first phase will prioritize children who are overdue for routine vaccines, for example, those required to attend school. In addition, this phase will offer vaccinations to people who are at higher risk of complications due to illness, such as individuals experiencing renal failure or transplant recipients, and people with other qualifying conditions or who meet certain eligibility criteria.
PHSD is offering clinics for children from 0 to 18 years of age who are overdue for routine vaccines. Appointments can be scheduled at one of the following locations:
-Main office, 1300 Paris St., Sudbury (Wednesday and Thursday afternoons).
-Elm Place office, 40 Elm St., Sudbury (Fridays).
PHSD is also offering high risk clinics at the following locations:
-Main office, 1300 Paris St., Sudbury (Monday and Tuesday afternoons).
Student clinics will be offered in April, May, and June. PHSD said it will provide Hepatitis B, HPV, and meningococcal vaccines to Grade 7 and 8 students who missed these vaccinations in 2020 to 2021. In the coming weeks, school clinics will be scheduled with each school including those in district offices. Parent or guardian consent is required for school-based clinics; however, consent forms signed previously for Grade 7 and 8 students remain valid. No appointment is needed for students receiving vaccinations in school, said the health unit.
Public Health is also offering community clinics, by appointment only for children in Kindergarten to Grade 12 who are overdue for routine vaccines required to attend school, including Grade 7 vaccines for students now in Grades 9 and 10. Clinics are being planned in select community vaccination clinic locations to start in April. Clinic locations will be announced as details are confirmed.
Families that do not want vaccinations will be required to fill out a Ministry of Health exemption form in order for their children to continue attending school.
For more information about immunizations and services offered by Public Health Sudbury & Districts, visit www.phsd.ca. If you have questions about vaccines or would like to schedule an appointment, please call 705-522-9200 (toll-free 1-866-522-9200). You may also choose to contact your health care provider to discuss and receive vaccinations.
