COVID-19 Vaccination Available for Individuals older than 40 and Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Individuals 12 years and older

May 12, 2021

Western Health is advising that COVID-19 vaccination is now open to:

  • Individuals aged 40 and older as of December 31, 2021.
  • Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals 12 years of age and over at the time of their vaccine (information about who is included in this group can be found here). Children 12 to 17 years of age are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine only. Please follow instructions carefully to ensure that you book for a clinic offering a vaccine approved for their age range.

With the expansion of COVID-19 vaccine program to include individuals 12 years and older, it is important to ensure the correct timing is maintained between the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines such as HPV, Hepatitis B and Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) that an individual may have received before or after a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information on the school vaccination program, please see here.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI) recommends:
-To wait for at least 14 days after the administration of another vaccine before administering a COVID-19 vaccine.
-To wait for at least 28 days after the administration of each dose of COVID-19 vaccine before the administration of another vaccine.

When students 12 years and older book their COVID-19 vaccine, the time frames between vaccines should be considered.

Individuals 12 years and older:

-Who received a COVID-19 vaccine should wait at least 28 days before receiving another vaccine such as HPV, Hepatitis B, or any other vaccine.
-Who received a HPV, Hepatitis B, or any other vaccine should wait at least 14 days before receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Individuals 16 years and older:

-Who received a COVID-19 vaccine do not need to wait at least 28 days before receiving the Tdap vaccine.

-Who received a Tdap vaccine do not need to wait at least 14 days before receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.


These individuals are invited to book an appointment for their first dose of vaccine by completing the following steps:

Please click the following link or copy and paste the link into the address bar of an internet browser (Google Chrome is the preferred browser). https://portal.healthmyself.net/nlwesternhealth/forms/lgA  

1.Complete the eligibility questionnaire and consent.
2. Select and book a vaccine appointment at their preferred clinic location.

If you experience issues accessing/loading the site, please open Google Chrome and clear your web browsing cache by clicking Ctrl+F5.

Vaccination is also available for the following groups (read more here):

  • Adults who identify as Indigenous
  • Individuals who are clinically extremely vulnerable
  • Rotational workers, truck drivers, flight crew, and Marine Atlantic crew and their household members (who are aged 12 and older)
  • Health care workers who may come into direct contact with patients
  • Pregnant women
  • Frontline essential workers, specifically those who have direct contact with the public and who cannot work from home in Alert level Five. 
  • First responders include career and volunteer firefighters, police officers, border services and search and rescue crew. 

If anyone is experiencing difficultly booking their appointment, please click here for the how-to video, or contact 1-833-703-5470 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Individuals will know when the clinics are full when there are no longer any available appointment slots available in the online system. If an appointment is no longer available in the community/clinic of choice, more clinics will be available in the future. However, people should continue to check Western Health’s website as we are continuing to add clinics weekly.

If you are not able to leave your home to access a clinic, please call 1-833-703-5470 and indicated that you require a home visit.

You should not schedule an appointment for a vaccine if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Instead, complete a COVID-19 Assessment and referral by clicking here.

While waiting for your opportunity for vaccination, and after vaccination, it is important for everyone to continue to follow public health guidance to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your communities including:

  • Wearing a mask in public
  • Washing your hands frequently
  • Respecting public health guidance on gatherings, travel and quarantine
  • Completing the online self-assessment at?www.811healthline.ca or calling 811 if you are experiencing one or more symptoms of COVID-19 to arrange testing.

Western Health will continue to communicate as additional vaccine information becomes available and more clinics are set up. For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, please visit Health Canada. For up-to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.