The COVID-19 vaccines that are approved and in Ontario at this time are being prioritized and distributed accordingly. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine priorities and distribution set by the Province of Ontario, please see the Ontario Vaccine Distribution Implementation Plan.
Health Canada only approves a vaccine after a thorough review process. The safety requirements in clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine were just as strict as the regular process for any other vaccine.
After approval, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada monitor the ongoing safety and effectiveness of all approved vaccines.
For information on the Moderna vaccine, including ingredients, how it works, how it's given, possible side effects and vaccine safety, visit the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: What you should know page.
Both approved vaccines have been shown to be very effective in preventing COVID-19 infection after 2 doses based off evidence from their vaccine trials.
The Moderna vaccine shows to be 94.1% effective 2 weeks after the second dose.
Vaccines are a very important tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19. When a large percentage of the population becomes immune to COVID-19, the virus will slow down or stop entirely. This is called ‘herd immunity’.
The percentage of people who need to be immune for it to be considered herd immunity is different for each disease. For example, 80% of the population must be immune to polio but 95% must be immune to measles for herd immunity.
More research is needed to find out was percentage of people need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity for COVID-19.
The COVID-19 vaccine is a safe way to become immune to COVID-19 infection. The vaccines are continuously monitored and were approved using the same strict guidelines that are used for all vaccines. For more information on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, see the Ministry of Health.
For information on the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and when the vaccine will be available to you, see the Ontario COVID-19 Vaccines website.
Currently, doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are limited and prioritized for those who need it most. To see more about how the Ontario government is prioritizing vaccine supply, please see the Vaccine Distribution Implementation Plan.
TBDHU will be following the Ontario Vaccine Distribution Plan and Ethical Framework to inform local prioritization decisions. Detailed plans with respect to local prioritization and timing are currently being worked on and will be shared once further details on vaccine availability and distribution are obtained.
The full roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines in our region will take several months to complete. Your cooperation and patience as the vaccine program rolls out is appreciated.
Until vaccines are widely available, it is important to take steps to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community against COVID-19. This includes following all public health measures, like staying home as much as possible, keeping 2 metres distance from others, wearing your mask and washing your hands often. Learn more about things you can do to reduce virus spread.
This helpful video answers a number of common questions concerning the COVID-19 vaccine. Questions with time stamps are listed below the video:
COVID-19 Vaccine Questions
1:10 - Why get vaccinated?
1:41 - How do mRNA vaccines, like the COVID-19 vaccines, work?
2:42 - Can the mRNA vaccines alter a person's DNA?
3:18 - Can the COVID-19 vaccines cause a COVID-19 infection?
3:52 - Once a person is fully vaccinated, can they stop following public health measures, like wearing a mask, physical distancing and self-isolating when they become sick?
5:00 - Can the COVID-19 vaccines cause a false COVID-19 viral test?
5:48 - How many doses are required for the vaccine to be effective?
6:01 - What are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines?
6:36 - If a person develops an unusual side effect to the vaccines, what should they do?
7:30 - Can people with severe allergies to a component of the COVID-19 vaccines still receive the vaccine?
8:18 - Can people with severe allergies to other vaccines, medicines or foods receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
8:41 - Who should NOT be vaccinated at the current time because of lack of information from clinical trials?
9:24 - Are there any other precautions with receiving the vaccine?
9:52 - Can people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 be vaccinated?
10:30 - How was Health Canada able to approve the COVID-19 vaccines so quickly? Did they lower their safety standards?
Residents and staff of long-term care homes were some of the most disproportionately affected by COVID-19. By vaccinating and protecting the people who provide essential care in long-term care homes, we’ll also dramatically increase the level of security and health for the people living there.
None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development use the live virus that causes COVID-19. There are several different types of vaccines in development. However, the goal for each of them is to teach the immune system to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign of the immune response to the vaccine.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Those who have previously had PCR-confirmed infection should still be vaccinated. Individuals do not need COVID-19 testing prior to vaccination. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people can still get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before.
At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long. We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well it works.
mRNA is not able to alter or modify a person’s genetic makeup (DNA). The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA are kept. This means the mRNA does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop protection (immunity) to disease.
COVID-19 vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) which provides instructions to cells in our bodies to make a viral protein from the coronavirus called a “spike protein” (not the actual virus). The mRNA provides the instructions that allows the cell to make the spike protein, and then the immune system is activated to recognize the spike protein as being different from the body’s own proteins and initiates an immune response. The mRNA is then degraded by normal cellular mechanisms and the spike proteins are destroyed by the immune system.
Both vaccines use mRNA technology and in generally, are fairly similar. Both have shown to be (close to) 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections.
They do use different “lipid delivery systems” for the mRNA technology which is the reason why they have different storage and handling needs (cold chain requirements, etc).
