School Immunizations

• TBDHU will be visiting all but two of the elementary Lakehead Public Schools for a second visit to administer second doses (students at Sherbrooke and Kingsway will not be eligible until the fall of 2022 as their first visit happened in March of 2022).
• Students from Kingsway and Sherbrooke, as well as students in the three senior elementary schools in the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, will be eligible in September 2022 and TBDHU will visit each school at that time.
• These second visits were not originally planned but additional capacity is now available and TBDHU is pleased to make the second dose more accessible.
• At these visits, students will be able to receive a first dose if they missed the previous visit to the school in the fall of 2021.
• New consent forms are not needed for the second dose.
• If a consent form was NOT signed, parents/guardians can give verbal consent over the phone: call 625-5900 and ask to speak with a vaccine nurse OR email vaccines@tbdhu.com and provide a first name and phone and a nurse will return the call.

For more information, including a calendar of second visit school clinic dates and information for those students who would prefer to be immunized outside of school, please visit the Student Routine Vaccine Catch-up Information page.

First and second school visits for routine/catch-up immunizations for Grades 7 and 8 in the district have been completed for the 2021/2022 school year. Any students who missed the school clinics, or who are in need of routine vaccines, can still get immunized by contacting their primary health care provider or by calling their local public health office.

School visits for routine/catch up immunizations for high schools in the city and surrounding areas have been completed for the 2021/22 school year.

Any students who missed the school clinics, or who are in need of routine vaccines, can still get immunized. See the Student Routine Vaccine Catch-up Information page for details on vaccine opportunities.

School visits for routine/catch up immunizations for high schools in the district have been completed for the 2021/22 school year.

Any students who missed the school clinics, or who are in need of routine vaccines, can still get immunized by contacting their primary health care provider or by calling their local public health office.

If a child’s immunization record is not up-to-date according to the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), parents/guardians will be contacted through a letter sent home by the TBDHU. The letter will provide details and instructions so a suspension can be avoided.

If you receive a letter, please review immediately and contact a TBDHU nurse; call 625-5900 in Thunder Bay or contact your nearest branch office. To avoid suspension, always keep your child's immunizations up-to-date according to Ontario's Routine Immunization Schedule, and report all immunizations to the TBDHU.

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, your child can be exempted from immunization for medical reasons or due to conscience or religious belief.

For Medical Reasons

You must fill out a Statement of Medical Exemption form that has been signed by a physician or nurse practitioner and submit it to the closest office of the TBDHU. It will indicate the reason for the exemption:

• your child has a medical condition that prevents them from receiving the vaccine
• there is evidence of your child’s immunity to the disease, making further immunization unnecessary

For Conscience or Religious Belief

1. Complete a mandatory education session via video (Vaccine Education Video - YouTube) that covers:

• Basic information about immunization
• Vaccine safety
• Immunization and community health
• Immunization law in Ontario

At the end of the session, contact a TBDHU vaccine nurse at 625-5900 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630 and discuss the next steps so you can receive a Vaccine Education Certificate signed and dated by the TBDHU.

2. Complete a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and have it signed by a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario.
3. Make copies of your certificate and your signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and submit the originals to you’re the nearest office of the Health Unit. It is important that you keep your copy for safe keeping.

Children with exemptions may be excluded from attending school (often for several weeks) in the event of an outbreak caused by one of the vaccine-preventable diseases noted in the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

Students who miss a dose of any vaccine (for example, is not at school on immunization day) can still receive it by visiting the Immunization Clinic or their health care provider (family doctor, etc.). Other opportunities are also currently available - details can be found on the Student Routine Vaccine Catch-up Information page.