Vaccinations

As of May 1, 2022, TMU’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy has been suspended. However, the university continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in the city and province and may need to reinstate requirements for vaccinations should public health indicators change.

Prior to its suspension, the vaccination policy came into effect on September 7, 2021 in response to a binding recommendation  from the  (PDF file) Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health  (external link)  and instructions from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health that required all post-secondary institutions to have mandatory vaccination policies. Under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, the University was required to comply with the recommendations and instructions from public health officials and, accordingly, implemented its COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

The policy required that individuals accessing campus were required to be fully vaccinated or have received an approved exemption from the university by October 18, 2021. Individuals who were exempt were required to participate in the Rapid Antigen Testing Program.

You are considered fully vaccinated in Ontario if you have received:

• the full primary series of a COVID‑19 vaccine authorized by Health Canada, or any combination of such vaccines (2 doses of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Novavax, Medicago, AstraZeneca, including COVISHIELD) in any combination or 1 dose of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson); or
• 3 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or 2 doses of the Moderna vaccine for infants and children aged 6 months to 4 years or
• a non-Health Canada authorized vaccine series corresponding to the schedule listed on the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Use Listing

Individuals should receive all recommended doses (including booster doses) to stay up to date with their COVID 19 vaccines. Visit the booster dose recommendation tool (external link)  to see when you are recommended to receive your next booster dose.

If reinstated, the vaccination policy applies to any physical indoor space or outdoor grounds that are owned, leased, licensed, operated, or otherwise occupied by Toronto Metropolitan University. Different requirements may apply to premises leased or licensed to external parties for their exclusive use by the university.

You can find your closest vaccination clinic, primary care clinic or pharmacy offering vaccines on the province’s central vaccine booking site. (external link) 

The two closest vaccination clinics to campus are the Regent Park Community Health Centre COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic (external link)  and Sherbourne Health COVID Vaccine Clinic (external link) .

Immunization is a step that most individuals can take to protect themselves and others.  The university encourages everyone who can be vaccinated to do so, and to stay up to date on any vaccines and boosters recommended by public health.

We understand that many of our community members might be nervous about the COVID-19 vaccines and some might even be experiencing information overload.

All vaccines approved by Health Canada provide strong protection against COVID-19 and its variants. The available vaccines were approved after independent and thorough scientific reviews for safety, efficacy and quality. 

COVID-19 vaccines work by training our body’s immune system to recognize and fight the virus. The vaccine uses certain molecules or parts of the virus called antigens which trigger an immune response when they are introduced into the body through vaccination.

A mixed mRNA model – mixing Pfizer and Moderna for first and second doses – has been approved by both the federal and provincial governments. Toronto Public Health is encouraging people to get whichever vaccine is easiest or fastest for them to access. 

As of June 17, 2021, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (external link)  (NACI) recommends that an mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) vaccine is now preferred as the second dose for people who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. If you received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, you can choose to either receive a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, or an mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) vaccine for your second dose.

For the latest information on safely mixing vaccines, please visit the Toronto Public Health website (external link) .