Rideau-Rockcliffe Family Medicine

COVID vaccination has been proven to be safe and extremely effective at reducing illness, hospitalization, ICU admission and death.

Please get vaccinated to protect yourself, your family and your community.

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Please do not call our office regarding the COVID vaccine. We need to keep our phone lines free for patients with immediate medical needs. Your best resource is the Ottawa Public Health website (link below). 

We recommend taking the first vaccine offered to you.

Third dose Eligibility

*** Starting Monday, December 13 at 8 am, individuals aged 50 and over (born in 1971 or earlier) will be eligible to schedule a third dose (booster) appointment if at least 6 months (168 days) have passed since their last dose. This aligns with the recent provincial announcement on expanded eligibility and provides Ottawa residents with an extra layer of protection against COVID-19 and its variants.

Individuals already eligible for booster doses include:

• Individuals aged 70 and over (born in 1951 or earlier)
• Health care workers and patients who are immunocompromised
• Staff and designated essential caregivers in congregate settings (such as long-term care and retirement homes)
• Individuals who received a complete series of a viral vector vaccine (two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine)
• First Nation, Inuit and Métis adults (16 and over) and their non-Indigenous household members.

Ottawa residents who meet the criteria are encouraged to reach out to local pharmacies using the provincial pharmacy locator to find those that provide the booster dose, or book an appointment through the provincial COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.

Vaccine for Children Ages 5-11

*** As of November 23, Ottawa residents are able to book vaccine appointments for five to 11-year-olds (born 2016 or earlier) through the provincial booking system. These appointments will be at one of Ottawa Public Health’s seven community clinics. Ottawa Public Health expects to receive vaccine supply this week and more than 60,000 appointments will be available starting Friday, November 26.

Other options for vaccinating five to 11-year-olds include:

• Neighbourhood vaccination hubs (see below)
• After-hours school pop-up vaccination clinics – On December 2, Ottawa Public Health will begin a rotating schedule of 73 after-hours school pop-up vaccination clinics and will post details and clinic schedules on its website later this week
• Pharmacies – over 100 locations across the city are starting to offer vaccines to this age group; find the nearest participating pharmacy for appointment hours and locations 
• CHEO – the hospital offers vaccinations to children with medically complex needs
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis community members – Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health will host a clinic at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre in partnership with Ottawa Public Health
• Inuit community members – Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team is providing vaccinations for Inuit youth; call 613-740-0999 for more information or to book an appointment
• Primary care – primary care physicians will be reaching out directly to their patients if they are offering COVID-19 pediatric vaccines in their offices – IF AND WHEN OUR CLINIC HAS THE COVID VACCINE, WE WILL LET OUR PATIENTS KNOW!

Common patient questions about vaccinating children:

• Vaccine efficacy is high (90.7%) against symptomatic COVID in the preliminary clinical trial data and there were no serious safety concerns and no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis. 
• The risk for myocarditis is expected to be significantly lower in 5-11 year cohort given the lower dosage (10ug), longer interval between doses (8 weeks) and what we understand about a lower predisposition of myocarditis in younger children. More information on myocarditis post-vaccination in this UWaterloo two-pager. 
•  A 14-day interval between the COVID vaccine and other vaccines is recommended by NACI as a precaution to better monitor for adverse events; however, it is recognized that this may not always be feasible. 
• Children who are turning 12 this year (2021) are recommended to get the adult dose (30ug). A child who is 11 should get the pediatric dose rather than wait weeks or months to become eligible for the adult dose. If they receive the first (pediatric) dose and turn 12 ahead of their second dose, they may then receive the adult dose, although a pediatric second dose can also complete the series. 
• Dosing for the vaccine is based on age, not weight, and antibody response of the 10ug in children five to 11 years old was equivalent to the 30ug dose in older children.
• A reminder that short-term menstrual cycle changes have been reported but fertility and hormone levels are not affected by vaccines. See vaccine myths and facts from the SOGC.

Useful resources:

• Factsheet on Youth and Children Vaccination from the MOH.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service (VSC) from SickKids and VaxFacts – for patients who might benefit from a dedicated, confidential phone appointment to answer their vaccine questions.
• Max the Vax, a compilation of credible information and resources about vaccines and vaccination for kids.
• Series of user-friendly information pieces from UWaterloo school of pharmacy Focused Covid Communication team, including FAQs on the mRNA vaccine for children and decision tool on whether to vaccinate a child now or wait.

Vax Facts

Not really sure about the COVID-19 vaccine, or the information you’ve seen?

No problem — our new VaxFacts Clinic is here to connect you with qualified SHN doctors who understand you may have questions or concerns, or just want to learn more.

You can book an appointment to do a call with one of our expert doctors. They are ready to talk, listen and help you get the most accurate information.

www.shn.ca/vaxfacts/

COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service through Sick Kids:

https://www.sickkids.ca/en/care-services/support-services/covid-19-vaccine-consult/

Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy:

https://sogc.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Covid%20Information/FAQ_Myth-Fact_17Sept2021.pdf

VACCINE SAFETY:

This is data from approximately 1.7M people in Israel recently published. You can see that getting infected (orange) puts you at higher risk of arrhythmias, kidney injury, blood clots (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism), heart inflammation (myocarditis and pericarditis), heart attacks (myocardial infarction), and brain bleeds (intracranial hemorrhage). Vaccines DO increase your risk of shingles (herpes zoster infection) and lymph node swelling.

AstraZeneca vaccines

For those who received the AstraZeneca as their first vaccine, rest assured that you did the right thing! The the reason for the pause of AstraZeneca rollout as a first vaccine was multifactorial (including an increased supply of mRNA vaccines and declining COVID numbers). You took an extremely effective vaccine, decreasing your risk of illness, hospitalization and death, and contributing to the decreasing transmission of COVID in our community. The overall risk of blood clots remains very low (estimated 1.7: 100,000 based on Ontario data and 1: 1 million for 2^nd doses based on UK data).

Please do not phone or email the clinic in regard to COVID vaccines.  

Information on vaccines:

• Understanding the blood clot issue behind the AstraZeneca vaccine and its safety: www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/04/17/understanding-the-blood-clot-issue
• Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology recommendations for COVID vaccination in pregnant patients: sogc.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Latest%20News/SOGC_Statement_COVID-19_Vaccination_in_Pregnancy.pdf
• Answers to vaccine questions for patients over 80: https://www.ontariofamilyphysicians.ca/tools-resources/covid-19-resources/covid-19-vaccines/covid-vax-80plus-qa.pdf 
• Short patient education videos developed by healthcare workers https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKIRxHVLkEUm727UtibHSg
• Ontario Ministry of Health vaccine information https://covid-19.ontario.ca/getting-covid-19-vaccine-ontario#phase-1