Spring Covid-19 Vaccine Dose

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: April 13, 2026          
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Spring Covid-19 Vaccine Dose

Dear Colleagues,

Administration of COVID-19 vaccine doses for fall 2025-2026 ended on March 31.
A spring COVID-19 vaccine dose* is recommended for individuals who are included in the High-Risk Populations group 1 (as indicated in the Ministry of Health, Health Care Provider Fact Sheet). These include:

•  Adults 65 years of age and older.
  • Those 80 years and older should receive an additional dose of vaccine while those 65 to 79 years of age may receive an additional dose of vaccine.
• Adult residents of long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors
• Individuals 6 months of age and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised (due to specific underlying condition or treatment)
• Individuals 55 years and older who identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and their non-Indigenous household members who are 55 years and older.

*The eligible high-risk populations listed above may start or complete their primary series in the spring if needed or, if they have completed their primary series, should receive an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the spring.

Eligible individuals (as outlined above) are recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it has been 6 months (minimum 3 months) from the previous COVID-19 vaccine dose or test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (whichever is later). 

Individuals who are not part of the defined high-risk population are not eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses during the spring period, regardless of whether they previously received a fall dose or any previous doses. 

Vaccine Availability 

Participating pharmacies and participating healthcare providers are the primary providers of the COVID-19 vaccine for spring 2026. The provincial COVID-19 vaccination portal and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre are no longer available. Individuals should be encouraged to bring their COVID-19 immunization records to their appointment if available.

Ottawa Public Health will offer COVID-19 vaccine to eligible high-risk individuals facing significant barriers to access in the community, including newcomers without OHIP and children under 5 years of age. Visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca/COVID19vaccine for more information. 

COVID-19 Immunization Provider Support Line (CIPSL):

The Ministry has launched a temporary contact centre to support spring COVID-19 immunization, called the COVID-19 Immunization Provider Support Line (CIPSL). If an individual is unsure when they last had a COVID-19 vaccine and the health-care provider is unsure if the individual has met the minimum interval between doses, the provider can call, as needed, to confirm the date of a client’s last COVID-19 immunization.

CIPSL will be available Monday-Friday from 8:00AM-5:00PM at 416-849-9998 or toll-free at 1-888-333-0640. Healthcare providers will be required to provide their professional registration number before information can be shared.

CIPSL agents will be able to search for client records with the following information: first name and last name; date of birth; and health card number where available. If the search results need to be narrowed further, agents can also search with email address, postal code, and/or COVID ID (where there is no health card number).

PLEASE NOTE: CIPSL is for health-care providers only and not for the public.