Thousands of students in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County are being reminded to update their vaccination records or risk being suspended from school.
Region of Waterloo Public Health says it sent 13,100 notices to elementary students in mid-December while 5,500 notices are expected to be sent to secondary school students this month.
There are six weeks between a notice to update a vaccine record and a suspension order being sent. Elementary suspensions would take effect on April 2 and high school ones would happen on May 8.
Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, students need to be vaccinated against:
Students who cannot be vaccinated need to have a valid medical or non-medical exemption on file with public health.
Public health noted these notices don’t necessarily mean that a student isn’t vaccinated, but it does indicate their records are not up-to-date.
The region said that these numbers are “a return to pre-COVID rates of ISPA notifications.”
The number of notifications sent out is lower number sent in late 2023 and early 2024, when 32,000 students were sent notices. Those were the first notices sent out since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Families are able to contact their doctor or go to a walk-in clinic for their shots. Children who have received a notice from Public Health and have no OHIP card or health care provider are able to book an appointment at a public health clinic.
Vaccine records can be updated online on the Region of Waterloo’s Public Health website.
Just over 8,000 students in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says a little over 8,000 students will need to update their vaccine records in the new year. Last year, there were more than 10,000 students.
Approximately 5,060 elementary students will receive a notice letter later this month. Just under 3,000 high school students received their letters in November.
The suspension date for secondary students is Feb. 12 and it’s March 19 for elementary students.