Priority target groups will include:

• Persons with chronic conditions under the age of 65
• Pregnant women
• Children 6 months to less than 5 years of age
• Persons residing in remote and isolated settings or communities
• Health care workers (all health care system workers involved with the pandemic response or delivery of essential health services*)
• Household contacts and care providers of:
  • Infants less than 6 months of age
  • Persons who are immunocompromised
• Populations otherwise identified as high risk

These groups are not listed in priority sequence.

Recognizing that many Aboriginal populations are younger; may be more socio-economically disadvantaged compared to Canadians as a whole; have higher numbers of pregnant women; have higher rates of diagnosed and possibly un-diagnosed chronic disease; and may live in remote and isolated communities, all efforts will be made to enable those Aboriginal people who would benefit most from immunization, wherever they reside, to have access to the H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible.

Ontario strongly supports this national approach to H1N1 vaccine sequencing. Ontario’s senior public health officials worked closely with the federal government and other provinces and territories to develop this guidance for H1N1 vaccine sequencing.

As the understanding of the H1N1 virus and vaccine effectiveness evolves, the Ministry of Health indicates consideration could be given to targeting other groups and individuals.

H1N1 vaccinations clinics are scheduled to begin in Thunder Bay in the late fall, pending the delivery of the vaccine. There will be sufficient H1N1 vaccine available in Ontario for everyone who needs and wants to be immunized.   

Guidance documents are available at thunderbayflu.com or visit the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

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