COVID-19 VACCINES - For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the dedicated webpage.
PUBLICLY FUNDED RSV VACCINE – Ontario’s publicly funded RSV vaccine program is expanding to include additional groups of people who are at least 60 years or older. For more information, please see the “Vaccine Guidance, Legislation and Programs” section below.
To order:
Thunder Bay Provider Order Form (PDF)
District Providers Order Form (PDF)
MISSED DOSE VACCINE ELIGIBILITY - Due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, some individuals may have missed their opportunity to receive the recommended vaccines (grade-based, age-based, high risk) under the publicly funded program. TBDHU is encouraging these individuals, including children, to reach out to their health care provider to ensure they are up-to-date.
HEALTH UNIT IMMUNIZATION CLINICS - For more information about TBDHU’s immunization options, visit the Immunization Clinics page.
The TBDHU provides support to health care providers in a variety of ways:
- Supplying vaccines, including the flu vaccine.
- Ensuring vaccine providers follow Ontario’s vaccine storage and handling guidelines.
- Providing support and information about immunizations, outbreaks, and other disease-related topics affecting public health.
- Providing support and information in relation to adverse effects of immunization, including reporting.
Ontario's Immunization Schedules (updated June 2022) is intended primarily for health care providers who administer immunizations as reference tools. They provide information regarding:
- The routine immunization schedule
- Catch-up immunization schedules
- High risk immunization programs and schedules
- Eligibility criteria for all publicly funded vaccines
- Minimum and recommended intervals between doses for vaccine series.
This resource does not include recommended schedules for COVID-19 immunizations. Please refer to the latest guidance for COVID-19 vaccination.
Due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, some individuals may have missed their opportunity to receive the recommended vaccines, either age-based on grade-based, under the publicly funded program. The Ministry of Health’s Guidance for Routine and Catch-Up Immunization Services provides information on the vaccines, cohorts, and timing required to receive missed vaccine doses. The vaccines eligible for publicly funded missed doses include:
- Hepatitis B
- HPV-9
- Men-C-ACYW135
- Herpes Zoster
- High-risk vaccines
Please note: Restarting the vaccine series is not required, regardless of the time delay.
For more information on each vaccine, please see the Ministry of Health Fact Sheets and Patient Tools page and Ontario's Immunization Schedules (updated June 2022).
| Vaccine | Current eligibility |
Impacted cohort | Remains eligible for missed doses until |
| Hep B (Recombivax or Engerix) | Grades 7 to 8 | Grade 9 students in the 2020/21, 2021/22, and 2022/23 school years (born in 2006a, 2007, or 2008) | Aug 31, 2023 (must complete series) |
| HPV-9 (Gardasil 9) |
Grades 7 to 12 |
Female students who graduated in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 (born in 2002, 2003, or 2004)b. Male students who graduated in 2022. Males in grade 7 became eligible in 2016 (born in 2004)b. |
Aug 31, 2023 (must complete series) |
| Men-C-ACYW135 (Nimenrix) |
Grades 7 to 12 and those born in or after 1997 | N/A | Remains eligible until vaccine is received |
a Individuals aged 16 years and older require a 3-dose Hep B immunization schedule as per the Canadian Immunization Guide Hepatitis B Vaccine: Canadian Immunization Guide.
b Individuals aged 15 years and older require a 3-dose HPV-9 immunization schedule as per the Canadian Immunization Guide Human papillomavirus vaccine: Canadian Immunization Guide.
| Vaccine | Current eligibility | Impacted cohort | Remains eligible for missed doses until |
| HZ (Shingrix) |
65 to 70 years old | Seniors born in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| HPV-9c (Gardasil) |
Males 9 to 26 years |
Males born in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| 4CMenBd (Bexsero) |
2 months to 17 years |
Individuals born in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Men-C-ACYW135 (Menactra) (Nimenrix) |
9 months to 55 yearse |
Individuals born in 1964f, 1965g, 1966h, 1967 | Dec 31, 2023 |
c, d Age of the impacted cohorts falls within the Health Canada product monograph age indications for product use
e Ontario publicly funds a single lifetime dose of Men-C-ACYW135 for individuals ≥56 years of age who meet high risk eligibility criteria listed in Table 3: High Risk Vaccine Programs of the Publicly Funded Schedules for Ontario (2022) Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario June 2022.
f, g, h Under the program extension high risk individuals born in 1964, 1965 and 1966 are eligible for 2 doses of Men-C-ACYW135, since they would have been 55 years of age in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Administration of two doses in these cohorts aligns with NACI recommendations based on expert opinion to as the product monographs limits age indication to 55 years of age.
Under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), all primary and secondary students must have proof of immunization against the following diseases to attend school (or a valid exemption):
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus (lockjaw)
- Polio
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella (German measles)
- Meningococcal Disease (which can cause meningitis)
- Pertussis (whooping cough), and
- Varicella (chickenpox; required for children born in 2010 or later).
A medical exemption form is available for health care providers.
School-Based Immunizations
Ontario’s school-based immunization program offers immunizations in Grade 7 for protection against Hepatitis B, Meningococcal disease and HPV.
In Ontario, the UIIP offers influenza vaccine free of charge each year to all individuals six months of age and older who live, work or go to school in Ontario.
Information about flu vaccines for both health care providers and the public can be accessed through Thunderbayflu.ca. These pages will be updated to reflect the current flu season.
Ontario recently expanded the eligibility criteria for its publicly funded RSV vaccine program to include anyone who is:
60 years old or older AND a member of any of the following groups:
- Living in long-term care homes, including Elder Care Lodges and retirement homes licensed to provide dementia care
- A hospital alternate level of care (ALC) patient
- A dialysis patient
- A transplant recipient
- Experiencing homelessness
- Indigenous
To order publicly funded RSV vaccine, please see the “Vaccine Ordering” tab below.
Information for the public about the publicly funded RSV program can be accessed through TBDHU.com/rsv-vaccine.
More information about the publicly funded RSV vaccine program can be found on Ontario’s Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) prevention programs page. A fact sheet for health care providers is also available.
Publicly funded vaccines are available from the TBDHU at no cost to eligible health care providers providing the facility meets specific criteria to ensure safe handling and storage of vaccines.
These criteria can be reviewed with TBDHU staff by calling 807-625-5900 in Thunder Bay, your local branch office, or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630.
Flu and COVID-19 Vaccine Orders
Please visit Health Care Provider Flu Information and COVID-19 Vaccines: Information for Health Care Providers for order forms and more information on COVID-19 and flu vaccines.
Publicly Funded RSV Vaccine Orders
To order:
Thunder Bay Provider Order Form (PDF)
District Providers Order Form (PDF)
Routine Vaccine Orders
Orders for routine vaccines must be placed by 4:30 pm on Tuesday and can be picked up the same week on Thursdays and Fridays between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. However, it is best to avoid picking up during the lunch hour of 12pm-1pm. Please ensure your cooler is pre-conditioned between 2-8°C in preparation for picking up the vaccine order.
Attach photos or scans of your temperature log book showing the temperatures since your last order OR the last two weeks if you have ordered recently to your order form. Orders cannot be processed without a copy of the temperature log book.
Emails are preferred as they reduce the risk of misplaced orders and improve the readability of the order and temperature log book submission.
Please call (807) 625-5900 in Thunder Bay or your local branch office with any questions.
School-Based Vaccine Orders
Some students may prefer to visit their health care provider to receive the school-based vaccines offered in Grade 7. To order these vaccines to administer to eligible students in your office, please use the standard order form (updated January 17, 2023) and return by email to vaccineorders@tbdhu.com in Thunder Bay or email/fax it to your local branch office. Please also attach photos or scans of your temperature logbook showing the last two weeks’ worth of temperatures.
The following school-based vaccines are listed at the bottom of the standard order form:
- Hepatitis B
- HPV 9
- Nimerix (replacing Menactra Quadrivalent Conjugate Meningococcal)
NOTE: The Ministry of Health requires the Health Unit to collect information about Hepatitis B, HPV 9, and Nimerix vaccines from health care providers. This information ensures that publicly funded routine school-aged vaccines are only administered to eligible patients.
You should use the Immunization of Children (Ages 0-18 years) Report Form (IMT-911) to report Hepatitis B, HPV 9 and Nimerix vaccines. This form can also be used to report other vaccines provided to school-aged children.
Before picking up any vaccine, please refer to the transportation, storage, and handling guidelines below.
To ensure the efficacy of vaccines the cold chain must be maintained in accordance to Ontario's Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines (PDF).
Call 625-8810 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630, ext. 8810 with questions.
Vaccine Pick Up
Vaccines must be picked up with a hard-sided cooler and thermometer. Coolers to transport vaccines must be pre-conditioned (2-8°C). This video on How to Pack an Insulated Container for Vaccine Transport provides an overview of this process. Consider the product packaging when selecting the transport cooler. It is recommended that individuals transporting vaccine have reviewed and are familiar with Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines and have completed the Maintain the Cold Chain module.
To pick up vaccines in Thunder Bay, use the TBDHU Main Entrance. Let reception staff know that you are here to pick up vaccines.
Temperature log books must be submitted with the order. They cannot be submitted at the time of pick up.
To support facility staff responsible for vaccine storage and handling, the TBDHU has made available an online learning module adapted from evidence-based resources. Completing this learning opportunity is highly recommended. A certificate of completion is provided.
Learn more and start the module here: Maintain the Cold Chain
Report all immunizations for children 0-18 years by using the Immunization of Children (Ages 0-18 years) Report Form (IMT-911).
Some vaccines require special report forms:
A cold chain incident occurs when the temperature of a fridge goes below 2°C or higher than 8°C. If a cold chain incident occurs, please follow these steps:
1. Place all exposed vaccine in a bag marked “DO NOT USE”. If the fridge temperature is reading between 2-8°C, place the bag in the fridge. If the fridge temperature is out of this range, follow the established contingency plan: condition the hard-sided cooler used for transporting and place the bag in the cooler until the fridge has stabilized between 2-8°C.
2. Contact the Health Unit’s Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 807-625-5900 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630. District communities should contact their local Health Unit branch office
3. Fax two documents to the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at (807) 625-4828:
- Ministry of Health Vaccine Cold Chain Incident Exposure/Wastage Report, which must include a list of the vaccine inventory.
- A copy of your temperature log book.
4. Follow the directions provided by Health Unit staff after the form has been reviewed and assessed.
Non-reusable vaccine includes unused, exposed, expired and damaged vaccine. All non-reusable vaccine should be returned to the TBDHU once every two months when picking up new vaccine orders. Place the non-reusable vaccine in a brown paper bag. Complete the Non-Reusable Vaccine (Spoiled or Expired) Return Form and attach it to the brown paper bag.
For questions, please call 807-625-5900 or your nearest branch office.
The Immunization Well-Child Toolkit/Trousse d'outils pour l'immunisation des enfants en bonne santé (March 2023) includes handouts to download and share with parents when communicating information about infectious diseases and the importance of vaccines in preventing many of these diseases.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has created the following posters for health care providers and other community partners to use:
- Vaccines for Babies and Toddlers: English (PDF) French (PDF)
- Vaccines for Adults: English (PDF) French (PDF)
- RSV Vaccine for High-Risk Adults: English (PDF) French (PDF)
- ISPA Immunizations for Children - High School: English (PDF) French (PDF)
A health care provider resource for Talking About Vaccine Safety with Vulnerable Populations was developed through the Peer-2-Peer Vaccine Safety Project. The resource gives special considerations for people who use drugs and people who are homeless or under-housed.
For Further Information
Call the Vaccine Preventable Disease program: (807) 625-5900
or toll-free 1-888-294-6630