SUBMITTED BY:
Healthy Schools Vaccine Department
DATE:
January 20, 2022
SUBJECT:
Influenza Vaccine Update
BACKGROUND
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) plays a key role in the implementation of the Ministry of Health’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) which offers influenza vaccine free of charge each year to all individuals six months of age and older who live, work, or attend school in Ontario. The WECHU receives influenza vaccine shipments from the Ontario Government Pharmacy (OGP) and is responsible for the distribution to local health care providers and approved facilities in the community. Allocation to providers is based on total community allocation, number of clients to be served, past usage by the provider, available fridge space, and the proportion of high-risk clients the provider is responsible for. As of December 7, 2021 there were no laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in Windsor and Essex County (WEC).
SUMMARY OF VACCINE ALLOCATION & DISTRIBUTION
The WECHU received initial shipments of the influenza vaccine on September 21, 2021. In total, the WECHU received 110,990 doses of the vaccine from the Ministry. Of these, 27,430 doses were the High-Dose Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (HD-QIV) for individuals 65 and over; and 10,000 doses were the standard dose Adjuvanted Trivalent Vaccine (TIV-adj) for individuals 65 and over.
As of December 9, the WECHU has distributed 83% (92,240 doses) of our total allocation of the influenza vaccine, 85% (62,580 doses) of the QIV, 100% (27,430 doses) of the HD-QIV, and 22% (2,230 doses) of the TIV-adj to the community. This includes 37 long-term care facilities and registered retirement homes, 4 hospitals, and approximately 200 healthcare providers. The OGP distributed the influenza vaccine directly to 124 pharmacies in WEC that were approved by the Ministry of Health and at the time this report was written, pharmacies have administered 35,714 doses to WEC residents.
|
|
QIV |
High Dose - QIV |
Adjuvanted TIV |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
# of doses of flu vaccine the WECHU has received from the Ministry |
73,560 |
27,430 |
10,000 |
110,990 |
|
# of doses of flu vaccine the WECHU has distributed to the Community |
62,580 |
27,430 |
2,230 |
92,240 |
HIGH DOSE-QIV
Although the WECHU is out of stock of the HD-QIV, and will not be available for the remainder of the season, the TIV-adj is still available for individuals 65 and over. There is no preferential recommendation for HD-QIV over TIV-adj or QIV. National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) states that all three vaccines protect against influenza, the most important thing is for seniors to be vaccinated.
LONG-TERM CARE/RETIREMENT HOMES
The initial supply of influenza vaccine was prioritized for the immunization of high-risk individuals, such as residents and staff of long-term care homes and retirement homes. Overall, the WECHU has distributed 5,140 influenza vaccine doses to 19 long-term care homes, and 2,480 doses to 18 registered retirement homes in WEC. A further breakdown is provided below:
|
|
QIV |
High Dose – QIV |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
# of doses of flu vaccine the WECHU has distributed to Long-Term Care Homes |
2,690 |
2,450 |
5,140 |
|
# of doses of flu vaccine the WECHU has distributed to Registered Retirement Homes |
920 |
1,560 |
2,480 |
CURRENT INITIATIVES
The WECHU continues to support widespread availability of the influenza vaccine in our community by working collaboratively with many community partners, including those in primary care, to identify service gaps and promote vaccine uptake.
The WECHU continues to raise awareness of the risks of contracting influenza (especially for high-risk groups), and the importance of being vaccinated amongst the COVID-19 pandemic through our social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).