Ontario implemented its vaccine passport system for indoor settings on Sept. 22. Also known as a vaccine receipt, this proof-of-vaccination document will be the key to using non-essential services such as getting into restaurants, bars, sporting events and other social gatherings. By Oct. 22, the province will also provide people with individual QR codes and a verification app to present to businesses.
Here’s a look at how Ontario’s proof-of-vaccination system works, and how you can access your vaccination passport.
What is a proof-of-vaccination document?
Also known as a vaccine receipt or vaccine passport, it is a document that you can download on your phone or print to show businesses that you are fully vaccinated. Currently, vaccine receipts are available in PDF form.
The province says businesses and patrons who don’t follow the rules could be fined.
How does the Ontario vaccine passport work?
You are eligible to receive your proof of vaccination for any doses received in Ontario, regardless of where you were vaccinated (pop-up clinic, pharmacy and so on).
Although you can download a receipt for each dose you receive, to be able to enter a business, you must show proof of your second vaccination. You are considered fully vaccinated if you have:
- The full series of Health Canada-approved vaccines (that’s two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca Loading…, or AstraZeneca in combination with an mRNA shot), or a combination of one or two doses not approved by Health Canada followed by a dose of Pfizer or Moderna.
- Three doses of a vaccine not authorized by Canada.
The final dose of any vaccine combination must have been taken at least 14 days before you are allowed to enter most indoor settings. Proof of vaccination may also include a vaccination receipt from another jurisdiction that shows the holder is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Ontario does not consider previous infection with COVID-19 a substitute for being fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people will not be allowed to submit a negative COVID-19 test instead of a certificate.
How do I download my passport?
You need to log in to the provincial portal to download or print an electronic COVID-19 receipt (PDF).
To download your proof of vaccination, you must have a green OHIP photo card, as you will be entering the card information to pull your vaccinations records.
If you do not have a computer or printer, you can call the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900 and they will mail you a copy. In many cities, including Toronto, library branches have said people can print vaccine receipts for free at any location.
The rollout so far has been relatively smooth. After its launch day, the site was down for a few hours Wednesday morning for “routine maintenance,” a spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott told The Canadian Press, but it was running again by 8 a.m. ET.
HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE VACCINE PASSPORT WITHOUT A PHOTO HEALTH CARD?
If you do not have a photo health card, or if you own a red and white health card, you need to call the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900.
Even without a health card, you are eligible for the vaccine. You can contact your local public-health unit where you will be asked for another form of identification and they will help you book an appointment.
When will Ontario’s vaccine passport app be available to download?
The province plans to launch a QR code and verification app – along with a smartphone app for businesses to verify them – by Oct. 22. Ontarians can continue to use paper receipts if they choose.
Ontario says it is developing the app in-house using the Smart Health Card standard, an open source system for generating QR codes developed by the Boston Children’s Hospital. The same standard is also being used for vaccine passport systems already in place in British Columbia and Quebec.
Where do you need to show vaccination proof?
According to the government of Ontario website, proof of vaccination will be required for indoor activities including restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, theatres and sports venues.
That list includes:
- Restaurants and bars (excluding outdoor patios, as well as delivery and takeout).
- Nightclubs (including outdoor areas of the establishment).
- Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres.
- Facilities used for sports and fitness activities and personal fitness training, such as gyms, fitness and recreational facilities with the exception of youth recreational sport.
- Sporting events.
- Casinos, bingo halls and gambling establishments.
- Concerts, music festivals, theatres and cinemas.
- Strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs.
- Racing venues (e.g., horse racing).
Ontario says that because the risk of transmission is lower in outdoor settings, like restaurant patios, proof of vaccination is not required.
Who can get a medical exemption from the proof of vaccination?
As COVID-19 vaccine passports have come into effect across Canada, doctors have reported an uptick in requests for medical exemptions – but health officials say there are very few conditions that meet the criteria.UPDATED SEP 22, 2021 8:20PM EDT – Medical professionals see exemption requests for COVID-19 vaccine passports as an opportunity to educate patients about immunization – PUBLISHED SEP 22, 2021 7:02AM EDT
“The reality is, valid medical exemptions for vaccination are very few so it is fairly straightforward,” said Katharine Smart, president of the Canadian Medical Association.
WHAT CONDITIONS EXIST FOR VALID MEDICAL EXEMPTION?
- Anaphylaxis to any of the ingredients in the vaccine confirmed by an allergist or immunologist.
- Having had a significant allergic reaction to the first dose.
- Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle and a rare side effect of the three vaccines, prior to getting a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
In Ontario, in order to access non-essential services, people with medical exemptions will have to provide a written document, completed and supplied by a physician stating that the individual is exempt for a medical reason from being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the effective time period for the medical reason, according to the Ministry of Health. They must also provide valid proof of identification.
Ontario says it is working to integrate exemptions into the digital vaccine certificate app. Children who are unable to get a COVID-19 vaccine are also exempt.
Until Oct. 12, those who are not fully vaccinated can still attend indoor gatherings for weddings, funerals, and certain rite or ceremony events if they are able to provide a negative COVID-19 antigen test from within the previous 48 hours.
What has Doug Ford said about vaccine passports?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was reluctant to impose vaccine passports, saying in July that he was against such measures because they would create a “split society.” Mr. Ford later reversed course, announcing on Sept. 14 that vaccine certification was necessary to avoid another lockdown.
In a statement following Canada’s federal election, the Premier acknowledged concerns about “civil liberties and right to privacy” and urged Ontarians not to take their frustrations out on businesses. Mr. Ford said the system is a temporary measure, but has not divulged criteria for ending the requirement. He said the decision will be based on advice from the province’s top health officials. Critics of Mr. Ford accused him of dragging his feet; the government had plans for QR code certifications drawn up last December, but never acted on them.
What are the guidelines for enforcement?
Ontario released guidelines for businesses in mid-September. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce welcomed the guidance but raised the issue that the rules only apply to customers, not staff, Loading…meaning people who must show a vaccine receipt to eat at a restaurant could be served by an unvaccinated waiter.
Businesses are required to check that the name and date of birth on the vaccination receipt matches a patron’s identification before allowing entry. Businesses don’t have to validate medical exemption notes, officials say a standardized note for exemption is in the works.
Individuals face up to $750 in fines, or $1,000 for corporations, for breaking the rules.
What are other provinces’ vaccine passport plans?
Quebec announced in August that the province would bar unvaccinated people from accessing non-essential public spaces. The vaccine passport system, which relies on a QR code app, launched Sept. 1 across the province. Manitoba also implemented one of the earlier vaccine passport systems.
Young adults have responded to B.C.’s passport program by booking their shots.
Alberta and Saskatchewan later announced their own vaccine certificates, as they began to experience a hospital crisis led by unvaccinated patients. After Alberta announced its proof-of-vaccination efforts, the number of vaccine bookings tripled.
Newfoundland and Labrador based its system on the Quebec model and all the Atlantic provinces are implementing passports as well. Not every Maritime province will enforce in the same way. PEI and Nova Scotia expect people to voluntarily comply. Starting Sept. 22, people in New Brunswick had to show ID and proof of full vaccination to access restaurants, bars and gyms.
In the territories, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not have plans for a passport system, but Yukon has a vaccine credential program for those who want to travel to other parts of the country.
Article From: Globe and Mail
Author: GLOBE STAFF
