Updates from Ottawa Public Health - March 9, 2023
Ottawa Public Health is expanding immunization services offered at its four community vaccination clinics to include routine and catch-up immunizations for eligible children and youth.
In addition to providing COVID-19 vaccines for people born in 2009 or earlier, starting Friday, September 17, the four community clinic locations will offer, by appointment only, publicly funded immunizations for eligible children and youth aged 0-17 years old. This also includes catch-up school-based immunizations for students in grades 7 to 12 who did not receive vaccines at school during the school year.
Routine vaccinations are an essential health service. Learn more about which routine vaccines are recommended for babies and toddlers (birth to three years), children age four to 11, and school-based immunizations for youth age 12 to 18.
Contact your child’s health care provider or check your child’s online immunization records for their immunization status.
Eligibility for child and youth immunizations at community clinics
If your child has a primary health care provider, such as a doctor or nurse practitioner, please contact them for your child’s routine immunizations. However, if your child’s primary health care provider is not currently offering routine immunizations due to COVID-19, or if your child does not have a primary care provider, they are eligible to receive routine immunizations at a community clinic.
The following groups are eligible to receive routine and catch-up school immunizations at Ottawa Public Health community clinics:
- Children/youth who are newcomers to Canada
- Children/youth without an OHIP card
- Children/youth who do not have a primary provider care, such as a doctor or nurse practitioner
- Youth in grades 9 to 12 who have not completed their school-based vaccine series normally administered at school in grade 7 (hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal conjugate vaccine)
- Youth in grades 7 or 8 who are unable to attend their school clinic. Information on school clinics is available on Parenting in Ottawa.
School immunization program restarting for students in grades 7 and up
After a temporary pause to the school-based immunization program during the 2020/2021 school year due to COVID-19, Ottawa Public Health has restarted its publicly funded school immunization program for the 2021/2022 school year to protect students in grades 7 and up from hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), and meningococcal disease. Information on school clinics is available on Parenting in Ottawa.
Book an appointment for routine and catch-up immunizations
If your child is eligible, make an appointment for them to receive their routine immunizations or to get caught up on their immunizations at a community clinic using the Ottawa Public Health immunization online booking system. Drop-ins will not be accepted for these vaccines.
Please stay home and reschedule your child’s appointment if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or are feeling unwell, even if your symptoms are mild.
Community clinic locations and hours
The four community clinics are open between 12:45 pm and 7 pm, Tuesday to Friday, and between 9:45 am and 4 pm on Saturdays and are located at:
- Eva James Community Centre - 65 Stonehaven Drive
- Ruddy Family YMCA-YWCA, Orléans - 265 Centrum Boulevard
- Minto Sports Complex at University of Ottawa - 801 King Edward Avenue
- J.H. Putman Public School - 2051 Bel-Air Drive
For more information, visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca or call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656). You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
