SWPH has expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to people in high-rise congregate living settings and people with the highest risk health conditions.
OXFORD/ELGIN/ST.THOMAS - Southwestern Public Health has expanded the criteria for getting a COVID-19 vaccine in our region.
The expansion will include residents, primary essential caregivers and staff of high-rise congregate living settings. High risk congregate living settings are residential facilities where a high risk client population live or stay overnight and use shared space.
These settings are at higher risk of transmission, and include:
- Supportive housing
- Developmental services/intervenor including supported independent living
- Emergency homeless shelters
- Other homeless populations not in shelters
- Mental health and addictions congregate living
- Homes for special care
- Employer-provided living accommodations for temporary foreign agricultural workers
- Adult correctional facilities
- Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters
- Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) residences
- Children’s residential facilities
- Youth justice facilities
- Indigenous healing and wellness
- Bail beds and Indigenous bail beds
- Provincial and demonstration schools/Consortium Centre Jules-Leger
- Inpatients on rehabilitation, complex care, geriatrics and mental health units
The expanded list also includes adults 16 years of age and older with the highest risk health conditions:
- Organ transplant recipients
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
- Neurological diseases in which respiratory function may be compromised (e.g., motor neuron disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis)
- Haematological malignancy diagnosed <1 year
- Kidney disease eGFR< 30
One primary essential caregiver for a person with the highest risk health conditions is also eligible under the new guidelines.
You can find more information online here.

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