COVID-19 information for adults with 22q

Disclaimer: The following information pages are provided for educational purposes only. They are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns, please discuss them with your doctor or healthcare provider.

Booking appointments for vaccination against COVID-19

Even though there is a stay-at-home order in Ontario, you are allowed to go and receive your vaccine!

Guide to booking a COVID-19 vaccine in the GTA: Who, where and how
This 680 News webpage provides most up-to-date information regarding the locations and eligibilities for vaccination in:

  • City of Toronto
  • Peel Region
  • York Region
  • Halton Region
  • Durham Region

Ontario government’s COVID-19 vaccine website

  • All of Ontario

UHN’s Vaccine Registry

  • This registry is not a system for booking appointment. It collects your personal health information so UHN can contact you by email once a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at a UHN sponsored location is available.
  • Our patients are eligible to use this registry as a result of:
    1. Having a diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (a developmental condition); and
    2. Being a patient at Toronto General Hospital.

Need help?

If you need help booking a vaccination appointment, please call us at (416) 340-5145 or email us at 22q@uhn.ca.

If you need a ride to go to your vaccination appointment in the Toronto area, please check this list for rides.

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Information about COVID-19 Vaccines

The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Astra Zeneca Oxford vaccines all give excellent protection against the COVID-19 disease.

None of these contain any live virus. They cannot cause disease. So they are safe for people with immune deficiencies, just as they are for everyone else in the general population.

Even for people who don’t make antibodies very well, the vaccine will help protect against the COVID-19 disease. If you have any concerns, please check with your doctor.

A special note for individuals with diabetes (both Types 1 and 2)

Diabetes Canada recommends that individuals with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

  • People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing serious effects from a COVID infection and at increased risk of dying from a COVID infection, thus should actually be prioritized for receiving the vaccine.
  • Thousands of people with diabetes were included in the original vaccine trials (Pfizer and Moderna) and did not experience major issues with the vaccines.
  • For more information about vaccination in people with diabetes, please review the recommendations from Diabetes Canada

COVID-19 vaccine info for individual with 22q
COVID-19 Vaccines Questions and Answers

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Symptoms

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2.

COVID-19 symptoms and treatment (Government of Canada website)

Self assessment (Government of Ontario website)

Note: This year’s flu season is taking place at the same time as COVID-19. To avoid unnecessary risks to your health, please get your flu shot as soon as possible.

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How to avoid COVID-19

Although this disease has been spreading quickly around the world, there are a few things you can do to avoid catching it.

See also

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Getting tested for COVID-19

Information for individuals living in Ontario: Effective September 24th, 2020, you should only seek testing at assessment centres if you are:
  • Showing COVID-19 symptoms;
  • Have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by your public health unit or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
  • A resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by your local public health unit; and
  • Eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
To get more information about testing and to find a testing centre, please visit the Government of Ontario’s COVID-19 website. The COVID-19 Assessment Centres closest to our Clinic are located at Women’s College Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital.

If you have no symptoms but wish to be tested, you can make an appointment to get tested at some pharmacies.

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Reliable resources for information on COVID-19

COVID-19 Information for individuals with 22q
COVID-19 Information for individuals with immunodeficiencies

Videos from the Immune Deficiency Foundation

COVID-19 Information for everyone

There is a lot of information on the Internet about the current pandemic, but not everything is accurate.

Please visit the following websites for the most up-to-date and reliable information:

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What to do for appointments at our Clinic

Please do not come to the Clinic if you have any of the symptoms.

Please see our section on Clinic operations and hospital restrictions during COVID-19.

Please note that Toronto General Hospital has a Universal Masking Policy. Effective Monday, November 23th, cloth masks are no longer permitted at UHN. Everyone entering UHN must wear a medical mask. If you are wearing a mask from home, screening staff will give you a medical mask to wear instead.

  • UHN physicians and Nurse Practitioners are the only two healthcare providers who can approve a patient face mask exemption, and must provide exempt patients with a completed Face Mask Exemption Form. Please contact our Clinic at least 1 week before your appointment if you would like a mask exemption. Even with an exemption, patients are required to wear a face shield while at UHN which will be provided at our screening entrances. They will also receive a ‘mask exemption sticker’.

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Support and financial assistance

While there are support services and financial assistance available, we urge you to be very careful about possible scams. Please visit the Government of Canada’s Slam the scam website to learn how to protect yourself.

Support
Financial assistance
See also

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