Halton Region and Halton Public Health said today they will begin operating four community immunization clinics to offer the Hepatitis B, HPV and Meningococcal vaccines that are part of the school-based immunization program.
Clinics will open next week, the week of September 20, and residents will be able to book an appointment through Halton’s online booking system (available here) starting tomorrow, Thursday, September 16.
"Supporting the health and safety of our community continues to be a top priority for Halton Region," said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, citing the COVID-19 vaccine effort as the reason behind pausing other immunizations.
"With many local pharmacies and primary care providers now offering the COVID-19 vaccine," Carr continued, "Halton Region will be able to transition some of our clinic locations to help Halton students catch-up on their important school-based immunizations."
Three vaccines will be offered at these new clinics:
- Hepatitis B
- HPV-9
- Meningococcal-ACYW 135
Currently, over 30,000 students born in 2004-2009 require at least one of these three school-based vaccines. Post-secondary students born in 2002 and 2003 who may have missed their opportunities to receive these important vaccines will also have a chance to catch-up.
Eligibility for the these vaccines will be as follows:
*remain eligible until August 31, 2022. Series must be complete by that date.
Residents can book appointments starting September 16. Immunization clinics are planned for each municipality and are expected to run September 20 until mid-November this year.
"As our COVID-19 vaccination clinics wind down, Public Health is ready to get our student population caught up on their school-based vaccines, which are critical for protecting the health and safety of our school community," said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Halton Region Medical Officer of Health.
"This program will leverage the successes from our COVID-19 clinics, including many of the clinic locations, resources, supplies and technology, to efficiently implement these mass clinics and begin catching up students as quickly as possible."
In addition to the launch of school-based community immunization clinics, Halton Region will continue to operate two COVID-19 vaccination clinics in September—the YMCA in Oakville and FirstOntario Arts Centre in Milton. Appointments are available on a walk-in basis only.
To learn more about options to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Halton, including clinic locations and hours, visit Halton Region's website.