Immunizations

Ottawa Public Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard provides up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccinations in Ottawa. Data in this dashboard are based on information extracted from the provincial system COVax-ON. This is a dynamic system that allows for ongoing updates; data represents a snapshot at the time of extraction and may differ from previous or subsequent dashboard updates.

To access the dashboard, please go to COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard - Ottawa Public Health 

COVID-19 Vaccinations Open Data 

We want to ensure that every single community in Ottawa is protected against COVID-19. To this end, we are working to ensure everyone has access to vaccines.

Following the implementation of mass-vaccination against COVID-19 in Canada, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) partnered with the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (ONS) to map neighbourhood-level COVID-19 vaccination rates. This now archived map, last updated in November of 2022, provided a snapshot of COVID-19 vaccination across Ottawa, based on ONS neighbourhoods.

Disparities in vaccine rates across neighbourhoods were observed and using these data, OPH worked with community partners including the health care sector to address inequities in accessing the COVID-19 vaccine. OPH and partners developed tailored options for specific neighbourhoods to ensure that anyone who wanted the vaccine could get it.

To access these data, please go to the archived COVID-19 Vaccination by ONS Neighbourhood Dashboard on the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study website.

Children aged 7, 12, 13, and 17 are assessed by Public Health Ontario (PHO) for up-to-date immunization coverage, which is estimated as the percent who have received the recommended number of doses of a vaccine or have evidence of immunity at a given point in time (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3) [1-5]. Many children who are not up-to-date have received some, but not all, recommended doses in a vaccine series. The National Immunization Strategy's immunization coverage goals, updated in 2017, set coverage targets based on international standards and best practices [8]. Note that coverage estimates are limited to vaccinations reported to public health.

• In the 2022-23 school year, the immunization coverage rate among 7-year-old students in Ottawa was approaching the national goal of 95% coverage for rubella and Meningococcal C conjugate (MCC) and it was below the national goal for other diseases (Table 1). [5]
• In the 2022-23 school year, the immunization coverage rate among 17-year-old students in Ottawa reached the national goal of 95% coverage for rubella, was approaching the goal for measles, mumps and polio, and was below the goal for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (Table 2). [5]
• The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in declines in immunization coverage between 2019-20 and 2021-22 in Ottawa. From 2021-22 to 2022-23, increases in coverage were observed for all childhood vaccines, with the exception of rubella, Hib and MCC (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). [1-5]

There are three vaccines which are part of Ontario’s publicly funded school-based immunization program, typically delivered by public health to grade 7 students (~12-year-olds): hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV), and quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate C (MCV4). Only MCV4 is required under ISPA.

• In the 2022-23 school year, the immunization coverage rate for school-based vaccines in Ottawa was approaching the 90% national goal for MCV4 and was below the goal for hepatitis B and HPV (Table 3). [5] 

Exemptions

Exemptions for one or more ISPA-designated diseases can be issued on medical or non-medical grounds. A medical exemption can be granted in the case where a child has documented immunity or has a medical contraindication (e.g., immunosuppression, Guillain-Barré syndrome). Non-medical exemptions can be issued on religious or philosophical grounds.  

• In Ottawa in school year 2023-24, less than 2% of 7- and 17-year-old students had a medical or philosophical exemption according to their immunization record. [12] 

• In Ottawa, the COVID-19 pandemic substantially disrupted access to routine childhood and school-based immunizations. The closure of primary care offices and schools, the shift to virtual care, stay-at-home orders, early retirement of health care providers, and the diversion of public health resources to COVID-19 activities all impacted vaccination rates. [7]
• The estimated total number of doses of routine immunizations missed between 2020 and 2022 among children and youth in Ottawa was over 40,000. Of these, approximately 15,000 were missed doses of vaccines which protect against measles. [7]
• In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic also impacted reporting of immunizations to public health. Between March 2020 until school year 2022-23, OPH’s ISPA surveillance activities (e.g., notice letters) to remind families to report their child(ren)’s immunizations were paused. As a result, many children have incomplete immunization records which limits the accuracy of coverage estimates. [7] 

• In 2019, 37% of Ottawa children and youth had received an influenza immunization in the past 12 months. Young children under age 5 were more likely to have received an influenza vaccine (49%) compared to older children aged 5-11 years (36%) and youth aged 12-17 years (31%) [11]
• About half (51%) of Ottawa residents aged 18 years and older reported receiving an influenza immunization during the 2023/24 influenza season, similar to 2022/23 (50%) and 2020/21 (50%). [11]
• Immunization rates are higher among older adults. During the 2023/24 influenza season, 42% of residents aged 18 to 64 years reported receiving an influenza immunization while 86% of residents 65 years of age and older received an influenza immunization (Figure 1). [11]
• In 2023/24, over half (61%) of residents said they got their influenza immunization at a pharmacy and 24% at a doctor’s office. The proportion of residents receiving their influenza immunization from a pharmacy has increased over recent year (2016/17: 44%; 2019/20: 30%; 2020/21: 49%, 2022/23: 56%). [11]

Figure 1. Percentage of Ottawa adults reporting influenza immunization by age group and influenza season, 2013/14 to 2023/24

This report is a resource for OPH and health partners to help plan or enhance programs and services, identify strategic priorities, identify gaps, and monitor changes in the health of people living in Ottawa. This report also fulfills the requirement for public health units to assess and report on population health, as stipulated in the Ontario Public Health Standards. 

State of Ottawa's Health 2023 Report (PDF) [9.5M]    

Each year, the immunization records of Ottawa school students are assessed by Ottawa Public Health’s Immunization program for compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). Parents are responsible for reporting their child(ren)’s immunization records to Ottawa Public Health. Based on this reported information parents are notified if their child(ren) do not have the required vaccinations for their age according to ISPA or a valid exemption on record. Post-surveillance vaccination coverage and philosophical exemption rates by Ottawa school are used to help tailor support to school boards, schools, parents/guardians, and others to ensure their child is up-to-date for all relevant ISPA vaccines for their age.

https://open.ottawa.ca/datasets/immunization-coverage-and-philosophical-exemption-rates-by-school-2018-2019