THUNDER BAY — High school students will be seeing registered mail at their doors soon about getting back on track for missed routine vaccinations.
The Thunder Bay Health Unit has sent out over 4,500 letters to students and their guardians outlining which vaccines are needed for students to remain in class.
Dr. Janet DeMille said there has been a backlog since the pandemic.
"We've been focusing very much in the last couple of years doing all the catch-up of getting those records from parents and doing those immunizations."
Booster doses that 14 to 16 year olds are eligible for include diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), polio, measles, mumps and rubella (German measles), meningitis, pertussis (whooping cough), and chickenpox (required for children born in 2010 or later) according to the health unit's website.
DeMille added that students have until Feb. 12 to either get the missed doses or risk school suspension per the Immunization of School Pupils Act.
"If a child is not immunized or there's not an exemption on file, then it can lead to that child being suspended from school - and so we will be moving ahead with that. I will note that most of the time, it never comes to that."
DeMille added that the health unit is available to help and support families before the deadline.
"We support parents in getting their children immunized or getting the records to us or if they have exemptions to acknowledge that."
There are certain exemptions outlined in the Immunization of School Pupils Act, which includes a verified medical exemption or a conscious or religious exemption.
DeMille said there are lots of appointments available for students to get their missed doses.
"We have lots of appointments, including during the day, in the evening and on weekends, for those students to come in and get their immunizations."
Heather Harris is the superintendent of education at the Lakehead District School Board.
Harris said the board is working with families to avoid any disruptions with students being in class.
"We're trying to help families by answering their questions and then making sure that they're connecting with the health unit. It's just something that we're working through to try to make sure kids get what they need and we reduce as much disruption as possible."
Harris explained the health unit needs to be notified of vaccine changes or updates first, not the school board.
"If someone gets the letter or the notification and realizes, 'I have this paperwork already,' there is a number they can call to figure out how to make sure the health unit gets that information.
"Then if their child does require additional vaccines or they go through an exemption process, they do that with the health unit. So it's all through them, and then we would be notified afterwards and, and students could return to school," Harris said.
