COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

Note: the goal of this site is to provide examples of resources for North Toronto partners as they plan/respond. It is not intended to replace existing organizational protocols. As more information appears, these resources will be updated.

Sunnybrook Staff: please refer to our intranet page at sunnynet.ca/coronavirus to ensure you are viewing the latest version of these documents and resources

About these Resources

This page was created in an effort to make COVID-19 Vaccine information easily accessible for North Toronto Ontario Health Team partners. As new information appears, this page will be updated to reflect any changes.

For a comprehensive FAQ on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit sunnybrook.ca/vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccine Education Resources

The following resources are included for assistance in providing vaccine education in an easy-to-understand format for patients, healthcare staff and external partners.

Vaccine Approval in Canada

To learn about the vaccine approval process in Canada, check out this infographic by Health Canada.

For more information on how the Government of Canada approves Vaccines for COVID-19, visit Vaccines for COVID-19: Authorized Vaccines

Vaccine Development and Types in Canada

To learn how vaccines are developed, check out this video by the Public Health Agency of Canada

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and Moderna vaccine are mRNA vaccines. These vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein from the virus that will trigger an immune response to create antibodies. These antibodies help us fight infection if the real virus does enter our body in the future.

For more information on mRNA vaccines, check out this information packet from Public Health Ontario

The AstraZeneca vaccine is a viral vector-based vaccine. These vaccines use genetically modified viruses (vectors) that are harmless to humans. The viral vector contained in the vaccine produces a part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vector virus is not the virus that causes COVID-19 and doesn’t make you sick.

For more information on vaccine types, visit the Government of Ontario’s webpage.

Vaccine Safety

The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine does not cause a coronavirus infection. It will help you build up your immunity to the virus, so your body can fight it off more easily if it affects you.

Only vaccines that Health Canada determines to be safe and effective are approved for use in Canada and available in Ontario.

Check out this infographic: What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine

For additional resources:

Toronto Public Health has a collection of COVID-19 information, including vaccine fact sheets in over 30 different languages.

For more information on vaccine safety, visit the Government of Ontario’s webpage.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions

You have questions about the vaccine, and we want to provide you with all the facts. Here are a few frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. 

How can we trust that the vaccine will be safe long term?

There is a rigorous testing process that happens before a vaccine gets approved, and safety is a key factor that is examined. Follow up studies are also conducted on vaccines to look at longer term effects. The vaccines currently approved for other diseases (e.g., flu, hepatitis B, etc) all have excellent safety profiles and the same standards apply to any COVID-19 vaccine used in Canada.

Do I have to get the vaccine now? I would rather wait a few more months to see what kinds of reactions other people experience after getting the vaccine?

While health care workers are among the first groups in Canada to be eligible to receive the vaccine, it’s important to remember that tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccine during the clinical trial phase. Trial participants reported relatively minor side effects such as fatigue, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever and joint pain, which generally resolved after a day.

How many people need to get the vaccine in order for it to be effective? 

Generally speaking, a large number of people need to receive the vaccine in order to generate herd immunity, so that people who can’t get the vaccine (such as those with immunodeficiencies) still benefit from the protection. Researchers won’t know what the herd immunity threshold for this particular vaccine is until after vaccination and monitoring actually begins, but early predictions start at around 75%.

For more information, please visit sunnybrook.ca/vaccine or the Government of Ontario’s webpage on COVID-19 vaccines