As Ontario’s vaccine rollout progresses, some employers have expressed an interest in hosting on-site vaccination clinics for employees. On April 13, 2021, the Ontario government provided information about how employers in COVID-19 hot-spots can inquire about the possibility of hosting an onsite vaccination clinic.
The government indicated that these clinics would be set up, operated and funded by participating employers within hot-spot areas. In addition to vaccinating employees aged 18 and over, the clinics would also vaccinate members of nearby communities. The capacity provided by these clinics would be used to supplement publicly run vaccination clinics.
Since employer-run clinics will form part of local vaccine distribution efforts, the clinic will require the support of local public health units and hospitals in order to operate.
The government stated that employers interested in hosting an onsite clinic must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible:
- The workplace must be located within an identified hot-spot community and have had a previous COVID-19 outbreak or is at risk of an outbreak;
- The onsite clinic will vaccinate employees that cannot work at home, many of whom reside in hot-spot areas;
- The employer will also vaccinate those in the local community, either at the onsite clinic or an alternative location in consultation with the local public health unit; and
- The employer will take on the responsibility of setting up, operating and funding the onsite vaccination clinic as well as the community clinics being sponsored if not onsite.
The government stated that employers who meet the eligibility criteria (including being located within an identified hot-spot community), can inquire about hosting an onsite clinic by contacting covid19vaccinetaskforce@ontario.ca. For more information, see the government’s press release.
