Eligibility Criteria for Ordering Vaccine from Toronto Public Health

Health care providers can order some provincially funded vaccines for their clients via Toronto Public Health (TPH). Please read the eligibility criteria below before placing an order.

Health Care Providers may order COVID-19 vaccines based on the following eligibility criteria. If you fit the criteria for this program, please complete the steps below to enroll in the COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Program before proceeding to order vaccines.

Enroll in the COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Program

Step One:

Health Care Providers (including physicians and nurse practitioners) that wish to order COVID-19 vaccines need to first enroll into the COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Program before proceeding to order online. There are separate enrollment forms for Health Care Providers and Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes/other eligible Congregate Settings (including Complex Continuing Care, Transitional Care Units and others).

Enrollment for Health Care Providers Enrollment for LTC/RH/Other Eligible Congregrate Settings

Step Two:

After successful enrollment, TPH will contact health care providers directly with online ordering instructions.

General Criteria:

  • Health Care Providers:
    • I am a Health Care Provider (including physicians and nurse practitioners) working in Toronto
    • I have a valid Ontario Government Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply Services (OGPMSS) client number
    • All vaccines ordered will be given free of charge to eligible Ontario clients.
  • LTC/RH and Other Eligible Congregate Settings:
    • I am a Long-Term Care Home/Retirement Home or other eligible Congregate Settings in Toronto
    • I am a facility that has registered with the Ontario Government Pharmacy to receive publicly funded vaccines and have a valid OGPMSS Client Number. (Retirement Homes do not need an OGPMSS Client Number)

Storage Criteria:

  • Both Health Care Providers and Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes/other eligible Congregate Settings:
    • My facility/site is compliant with the Ontario Ministry of Health Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines:
      • Vaccine refrigerator maintains temperatures between +2℃ to +8℃
      • Vaccine refrigerator temperatures are monitored twice daily and documented
      • Vaccine refrigerators have passed inspection by Toronto Public Health within the last 12 months
    • We will maintain a strict inventory of the vaccine, including doses received, unused, spoiled, expired and wasted.
    • Vaccines will be kept in a secure location.

COVaxON Criteria:

  • Both Health Care Providers and Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes/other eligible Congregate Settings:
    • The staff at my facility/site who will be administering COVID-19 vaccines have COVaxON account where Toronto Public Health is the Authorizing Organization to document COVID-19 Vaccine administration. Staff have completed required COVaxON training.
    • All authorized COVaxON users will have read and agreed to comply with the COVaxON Acceptable Use Policy.
    • All staff will document vaccine administration on COVaxON within 48 hours of administering.
    • All staff will report extra doses and wastage events in COVaxON within 48 hours of occurrence.
    • We will promptly report any breach or suspected breach of privacy to Toronto Public Health at COVIDVaccineOrder@toronto.ca.
    • We will not resell, distribute, damage, or provide unnecessary access to COVaxON.

If you do not have a COVaxON account with Toronto Public Health as the Authorizing Organization or have not completed training:

  • Health Care Providers (physicians and nurse practitioners only): please contact Ontario MD
  • Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes/other eligible Congregate Settings: please contact LTCRVaccine@toronto.ca

Clinical Criteria:

  • Both Health Care Providers and Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes/other eligible Congregate Settings:
    • At the time of vaccine administration, we will have obtained and documented informed consent for all individuals who will be receiving the vaccine.
    • At the time of vaccine administration, we will ensure that only personnel who are legally authorized to administer vaccines, administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
    • We have plans in place to monitor recipients of the vaccine for adverse reactions, as per Ministry requirements.
    • We will report any adverse events using the Report of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) form and fax the completed form to 416-696-3492 or email to AEFI@toronto.ca.
  • LTC/RH/other eligible Congregate Settings:
    • At the time of vaccine administration, we will have established the appropriate medical directive(s) to administer the vaccine.

Vaccine Administration Criteria:

  • Both Health Care Providers and Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes/other eligible Congregate Settings:
    • We will ensure that the vaccine is administered in accordance with all applicable laws, Ministry of Health directions and guidelines
    • We have reviewed the manufacturer’s instructions for administering the vaccine.
    • The 2nd dose of vaccine will be administered according to the manufacturer’s required interval:
      • At least 21 days between doses if the person’s first dose was Pfizer-BioNTech
      • At least 28 days between doses if the person’s first dose was Moderna
    • 3rd dose or booster dose will be administered according to the Ontario Ministry of Health recommendations:
    • Once the vaccine has arrived on site, we will administer all doses of the vaccine within the manufacturer’s required time frame.
    • To prevent vaccine wastage, we have a plan to use the doses we order within 20 days.

Resources:

Toronto Public Health provides free hepatitis B, meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccinations to students in grades 7 to 12. For eligible students who have not received a full vaccine series of these vaccines, Toronto Public Health will release the vaccines to physicians based on the following criteria:

Hepatitis B Vaccine

  • Grade 7 to 12 students who have not already received or completed their vaccine series

Human Papillomavirus-9 Vaccine

  • Grade 7 to 12 students who have not already received or completed their vaccine series
  • Females born in 2002 and 2003
  • Guys who are into other guys (MSM), up to age 26

Please include the student’s first and last name, plus their date of birth. Males born outside of the listed birth years are not eligible for the free HPV-9 vaccine. The HPV vaccine can be purchased privately. Youth, ages 15 years and older need three doses with minimum spacing of zero, two and six months.

Meningococcal-quadrivalent

  • Grade 7 -12 students who did not already received their vaccine

Order Vaccines for the School-Based Immunization Program

Health care providers that fit the eligibility criteria may order vaccines for the school-based immunization program through the Online Vaccine Order Form

Online Vaccine Order Form

Hepatitis A vaccine

  • individuals with chronic liver disease, including hepatitis B and C
  • individuals who use injection drugs
  • men who have sex with men (MSM)

Hepatitis B vaccine

  • infants born to hepatitis B carrier mothers
  • children under seven years of age, whose families have emigrated from countries with a high prevalence of hepatitis B or may be exposed to hep B carriers through their extended families
  • household and sexual contacts of chronic carriers and acute cases
  • individuals with a history of a sexually transmitted infection; multiple sex partners or MSMs
  • individuals with chronic liver disease, including hepatitis C
  • individuals who use injection drugs
  • individuals awaiting liver transplants (Only second and third doses are publicly funded.)
  • individuals with a needle-stick injury, in a non-health care setting
  • individuals on renal dialysis or persons with diseases requiring frequent receipt of blood products, such as haemophilia. (Only second and third doses are publicly funded.)

Meningococcal Conjugated A, C, Y, W-135 vaccine

Individuals, nine months of age and older with:

  • functional or anatomic asplena
  • complement, properdin, factor D deficiency or primary antibody deficiencies
  • pre/post cochlear implant recipients
  • Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) or acquired complement deficiency

Menactra®/Menveo® is licensed up to age 55; its use for ages 56 and older is off label but recommended since the Meningococcal Polysaccharide ACYW-135 (Menomune®) is no longer available.

Multicomponent Meningococcal B (4CMenB) vaccine

Individuals, two months to 17 years with:

  • functional or anatomic asplenia
  • complement, properdin, factor D or primary antibody deficiencies
  • pre/post Cochlear implant recipients
  • HIV or acquired complement deficiencies (e.g., receiving eculizumab)

Human papillomavirus vaccine

  • individuals, up to 26 years of age who self-identify as MSM (gay, bisexual or transgender).

Order Vaccines for High-Risk Clients

Health care providers that fit the eligibility criteria may order vaccines for high-risk clients through the Online Vaccine Order Form.

Online Vaccine Order Form

General Vaccines – Order Via Ontario Government Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply Services (OGPMSS)

For Toronto health care providers, use the Ministry form: Requisition for Biological Supplies to order routine vaccines, immunization cards and other supplies. Then fax directly to OGPMSS.

For questions about your vaccine order, contact:

OGPMSS Customer Service
99 Adesso Drive,1st floor. Concord, ON L4K 3C7
Tel: 416-327-0837
Fax: 416-327-0818

Email: OGPMSS.moh@ontario.ca

For more information, see Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule for Ontario.