The Dalglish Family 22q Clinic

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

COVID-19 Immunization Clinic for Adults with Disabilities
When: May 13 (Thursday) and May 19 (Wednesday)
Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Appointments are necessary.

For more information and to book an appointment, please visit:
https://covidvaccineontario.simplybook.me/v2/.

Ontario has expanded COVID-19 vaccination booking to include individuals aged 18 and over. As of May 3^rd, 2021, individuals who are 18 and over in 2021 and live in hot spot communities will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at:

• a mass immunization clinic through the provincial online booking system; or
• directly through public health units that use their own booking system.

Health Canada has approved the Pfizer vaccine for youth aged 12 to 15 years. Information about appointment booking will be posted when it is available.

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.

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.

COVID-19 vaccine info for individual with 22q

• COVID-19 Series from the International 22q11.2 Foundation
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?
• COVID-19 Update on Vaccines - Video from the Immune Deficiency Foundation (Video by Dr. Kate Sullivan)

COVID-19 vaccine info 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.

COVID-19 Vaccine info for everyone

• CBC News - Why your 1st COVID-19 shot is more protective than you might think
• Government of Ontario - COVID-19 Vaccine Safety
• Government of Canada - The facts about COVID-19 vaccines
• Government of Canada - COVID-19 vaccines and treatments
• New England Journal of Medicine - COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions

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)

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

• Stay at home as much as possible
• Avoid being very near another person
  • “Social distance” means keeping about 6 feet apart (2 metres, or 3 big steps)
• Wash your hands properly and frequently using soap and water
  • Video: How to wash your hands properly
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Video: How to use hand sanitizers properly
• Wear a mask as an added layer of protection
  • Video: How to put on and take off a mask properly
  • Avoid masks with graphene
  • More information about masks
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands
• Sneeze or cough into your sleeve or a tissue and wash your clothes often
• Disinfect spaces regularly,especially phones, door handles, etc.
• Improve the ventilation of your home
  • Guidance for multi-family homes (apartments) and long-term care homes

See also

• Testing and quarantine policy for people who have travelled anywhere outside Canada, including the United States
• Tip Sheets from our Clinic and the International 22q Foundation

Concerned that you may have been exposed to COVID-19?

• Review the testing information and criteria
• Book an appointment to test if you have COVID-19

COVID-19 Information for individuals with 22q

• From our Clinic
  • COVID-19 - What it is and how you can help
• International 22q Foundation - COVID-19 Resources
  • What is COVID-19?
  • Why should we stay home?
  • Staying calm during COVID-19
  • False information and scams
  • Immunodeficiencies and COVID-19
  • Heart conditions and COVID-19 [Italian version]
  • When can we return to work/school?
  • PCR vs. Antibody testing
  • Masks: Why, When, and How
  • Allergies, Cold, Flu or COVID-19?
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?

COVID-19 Information for individuals with immunodeficiencies

Videos from the Immune Deficiency Foundation

• List of topics (non-forum videos)
• To find out how individuals with immunodeficiencies have been doing when they contract COVID-19, please see the April 10 video (7 min 55 sec) and the May 8 video (9 min 11 sec)

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:

• University Health Network (UHN) - COVID-19 Info/Policies – UHN is the organization that runs the Toronto General Hospital.
• UHN’s COVID-19 Resources
  • This site offers pamphlets in other languages
• City of Toronto
• Public Health Ontario
• Government of Canada - includes outbreak updates, symptoms, prevention, travel, preparation

Please do not come to the Clinic if you have any of the symptoms. Depending on your situation, you may be able to have your appointment remotely.

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

Please note that Toronto General Hospital has a Universal Masking Policy.

• Cloth masks are not 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, you will be required to wear a face shield while at UHN which will be provided at our screening entrances. You will also receive a ‘mask exemption sticker’.

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

• The Center for Disease Control’s page on Stress and Coping

• Connectability Resources for people with Intellectual Disabilities

• Ontario 211 - Community and Social Services Help Line (more info)

• Toronto Drop-In Network

• Pooran Law’s COVID-19 Resource Centre

Financial assistance

• Ontario Works (OW)

• Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

• Passport funding

• Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan