Reports

Thanks to advances in science and technology, and an unprecedented level of global collaboration, Health Canada authorized Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on December 9, 2020 and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on December 23. This news comes after a thorough and independent review determined that both vaccines met stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements.

Phase 1: High-risk population
Limited doses of the vaccine available.

Target populations: health care workers, long-term care homes and retirement homes residents, staff and essential visitors, adult chronic home care recipientsand adults in Indigenous communities.

Starting: December 2020
Click here for more information on Phase 1.

Phase 2: Mass deliveries of vaccines
Increasing stock of vaccines available.

Target populations: older adults, beginning with those 80 and older and decreasing in five-year increments over the course of the vaccine rollout, people who live and work in high-risk congregate settings (for example, shelters, community living), frontline essential workers, including first responders, teachers and other education staff and the food processing industry, individuals with high-risk chronic conditions and their caregivers

Expected to Start: March 2021
Click here for more information on Phase 2.

Phase 3: Steady state
Vaccines available widely across Ontario for anyone who wants to be immunized.
 
Expected to Start: August 2021
Click here for more information on Phase 3.

The first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine were delivered to Brant during the week of January 10, 2021.

On January 14, 2021, the Brant County Health Unit, along with the assistance of our various community partners, began mobile vaccination clinics to immunize residents and staff in long-term care homes in our community.

Individuals who are not part of these groups will be contacted when the COVID-19 vaccine can be offered to them.

Until vaccines are widely available, it remains important to take steps to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community against COVID-19. This includes staying home as much as possible, keep two metres (six feet) distance from others, wearing your mask and washing your hands often.

BCHU, along with our Joint Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) partners, is actively planning to ensure our community is ready to deliver the vaccine when it is available. We are using lessons learned from our experiences from the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009 to inform plans.

All levels of government play important roles in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents:

• The federal government is responsible for approving vaccines as safe and effective for use and procuring them;
• The provincial government is responsible for creating a provincial vaccination plan that includes distributing vaccines and supporting health system partners to deliver them to residents, starting with people who are most vulnerable; and
• BCHU, along with other local health units, will promote the importance of the vaccine, distribute certain vaccines and help immunize residents, investigate adverse events following immunization and share data with the province.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were authorized by Health Canada after a thorough and independent review determined they met stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will continue to closely monitor the safety of the vaccine once it is available.

How this Vaccine Works
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines tell your body's cells to make "spike proteins." The spike proteins are specific to the virus that causes COVID-19. Your immune system will respond to the spike proteins by making antibodies that will fight off infection. Your new antibodies will break down the spike proteins and get rid of them. Your new antibodies will protect you from symptomatic illness if you are exposed to the COVID-19 virus. It is not known if the vaccine can prevent infection and transmission. The vaccine does not contain the virus and so it cannot give you COVID-19.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been tested in large clinical trials to ensure they have met safety standards, and has been licensed and approved by Health Canada.

Vaccine Benefits
Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are required for full protection, given 21 days apart. Two doses of the Moderna vaccine are required between 18 and 28 days apart. It can be given to people 16 years of age and older, including seniors. After completing the two-doses, it may take another seven days to achieve maximum protection against COVID-19. At this time, there is no information on the long-term protection with this vaccine. In trials, the vaccines were around 95 per cent effective.

There is a small chance that you may still get COVID-19 after being vaccinated. It is important to continue with public health measures such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, and staying home if you are sick. Health care and other staff must still wear personal protective equipment (PPE) even after they have been vaccinated.

Side Effects and Risks
Some people may experience side effects from the vaccine, but they will likely be moderate and resolve after a few days. Some of the symptoms are part of the body's response to developing immunity.

Common side effects that have been reported in the clinical trials for this vaccine include:

In rare cases, serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) can occur. Allergic reactions can be treated and are usually temporary. Seek medical attention if you have trouble breathing, have hives or swelling of the face and throat. Vaccine side effects will continue to be monitored as people receive the vaccine. If you get a reaction to the vaccine, contact your health care provider who will report the side effect directly to public health. Public health will keep track of the reported side effects to make sure the vaccine continues to be safe.

Precautions

• Delay getting vaccinated if you have a fever or are sick with COVID-19 symptoms.
• Avoid trying to get pregnant for at least two months after getting both doses of the vaccine.
• People with a bleeding disorders or who are on blood thinner medications should consult their health care provider before getting vaccinated.

Do not get this vaccine, if you:

• are under 16 years of age for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and under 18 years old for the Moderna vaccine;
• are pregnant or breastfeeding;
• have an autoimmune disorder or a weakened immune system due to illness or treatment (unless you have consulted with your healthcare provider about the risk versus benefits); or
• have an allergy to an ingredient in the vaccine or had a previous severe reaction to this vaccine
  

No. mRNA is not able to alter or modify a person's genetic makeup (DNA). The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the mRNA does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body's natural defenses to safely develop protection (immunity) to disease.

No. A direct connection with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and Bell's palsy, a condition that causes temporary facial paralysis, has not been established. The Pfizer study examined 38,000 patients and found four cases of Bell's palsy among those who received the vaccine, but this is in keeping with the normal observed incidence of Bell's palsy in the population. The COVID-19 vaccine, like all vaccines, continues to be monitored for adverse events.