Overview

The Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) provides free influenza vaccines to Ontarians. People ages 6 months or older who live, work or attend school in Ontario can get the influenza vaccine.

Pharmacies and organizations can apply to participate in the UIIP and administer vaccines to the public. Pharmacists can only administer publicly funded influenza vaccines to people 2 years of age or older.

You must submit an application to the Ministry of Health if your pharmacy or organization would like to store, handle and administer publicly-funded influenza vaccines during the upcoming season.

Apply for the 2024–2025 influenza immunization program.

The application deadline for the 2024-2025 Universal Influenza Immunization Program is June 30, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Before you apply:

Step 1: Complete and submit an application form

Select the appropriate application form for your organization, either the:

Once you fill out the form, click the ‘Submit’ button. This will automatically send the form to the ministry.

We will not accept applications sent by email.

You must submit a separate application form for each office location.

If an office location has multiple vaccine refrigerators that will be storing publicly funded influenza vaccine, you can use a single application form.

Step 2: Receive 2 confirmation emails

After you submit the application form you will receive the following 2 confirmation emails:

  1. Immediately: an automated email confirming that your application was submitted - this email will include a tracking number and a copy of your application.
  2. Within 2 business days: an email from UIIP.MOH@ontario.ca confirming the processing status of your application, which includes 1 of the following messages:
    • Your application form has been processed and the information provided has been forwarded to your local public health unit for a cold chain inspection on the vaccine refrigerator(s) that will be storing publicly funded influenza vaccines.
    • Your application form has not been processed. Your organization must comply with the resubmission deadline stipulated by the ministry.

If you do not receive a response from the ministry within 2 business, you must resubmit your application form. Please ensure the email address(es) you provide are accurate.

Step 3: Cold chain inspection

Your local public health unit will contact you to:

  • arrange an inspection of the vaccine refrigerator(s) that will store publicly funded influenza vaccine
  • assess your organization’s adherence to the provincial Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines

You may experience a delay in hearing from your local public health unit due to the high volume of inspections that occur during this time.

Before your local public health unit contacts you for your inspection, you should review the following materials and ensure you meet the requirements:

Public health units will likely have one opportunity to conduct the required vaccine refrigerator inspection for your organization. It is very important that you do everything you can to be ready for your inspection the first time.

Step 4: Approval to participate in the 2024–2025 UIIP

We will notify all approved vaccine providers by email in September 2024, before the launch of the 2024–2025 UIIP.

The 2024–2025 UIIP implementation materials will be available in September 2024.

Proof of insurance

Organizations administering influenza vaccine must maintain a policy of comprehensive general liability insurance.

You are not required to submit proof of insurance. However, the ministry may request a copy of the certificate of insurance at any time.

Exemptions

The following groups do not need to apply to participate in the UIIP:

  • health care providers and/or organizations that already receive publicly funded vaccine(s) other than publicly funded influenza vaccine
  • health care providers who bill OHIP
  • Community Health Centres
  • long-term care homes
  • public hospitals
  • Home and Community Care Support Services / Ontario Health atHome  (Government of Ontario Crown agency)
  • Family Health Teams
  • federal or provincial correctional service and youth justice facilities

Any of these groups may contact their local public health unit for more information about how to obtain publicly funded influenza vaccine.

Emergency medical services (EMS) groups

EMS groups can apply only if they meet all of the following conditions:

  • paramedics are not performing, or not “on-call” to perform, ambulance services or related duties
  • the administration of vaccines has been legally delegated by an authorized regulated health professional who is not acting as a Base Hospital Physician under the Ambulance Act
  • there is full compliance with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)or the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) policies that pertain to the delegation of controlled act

Pharmacy information

Pharmacies must have at least one licensed injection-trained pharmacist who has registered their training with the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) at the time of submission.

The ministry will verify with the OCP that the pharmacist is certified to administer vaccines.

Newly accredited pharmacies

Participation in UIIP depends on when the pharmacy receives their OCP accreditation number.

For the purposes of the UIIP, newly accredited pharmacies do not include pharmacies that have received a new OCP accreditation number because of relocation or change of ownership.

Application process and timelines

The application process and timelines are different depending on when the pharmacy receives their OCP accreditation number.

On or before June 30, 2024

If the pharmacy receives their OCP accreditation number on or before June 30, 2024, the application process and timelines for the pharmacy are:

  • submit a User Agreement by June 30, 2024
  • those that have received their OCP Accreditation Number but not their ODB Account should input ON00000000 in the ODB Account Number field
  • resubmit an updated User Agreement once an ODB Account Number has been assigned
Between July 1, 2024 and August 31, 2024

If the pharmacy receives their OCP accreditation number between July 1, 2024 and August 31, 2024:

  • there will be a separate application process for these pharmacies
  • the ministry will be emailing a Newly Accredited Pharmacy User Agreement to these pharmacies directly
On or after September 1, 2024

If the pharmacy received their OCP accreditation number on or after September 1, 2024, they are not able to apply to participate in the 2024–2025 UIIP.

As participation in the COVID-19 vaccine program is dependent on a valid UIIP User Agreement, these pharmacies will not be able to apply to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine program until the following UIIP season.

Pharmacy ownership changes

The person that should apply to participate in the UIIP depends on the date when the ownership will change.

On or before June 30, 2024

If the change of ownership happens on or before June 30, 2024, the new owner must apply.

On or after July 1, 2024

If the change of ownership happens on or after July 1, 2024, 2 or 3 agreements must be submitted:

  • the previous owner should submit a User Agreement by June 30, 2024
  • the new owner should submit an updated User Agreement once the changeover takes place
  • the new owner should also submit an updated COVAXON Agreement, if applicable

If the previous owner did not submit a User Agreement by June 30, 2024, the pharmacy will not be able to participate in the 2024–2025 UIIP.

In addition, as participation in the COVID-19 vaccine program is dependent on a valid UIIP User Agreement, these pharmacies will not be able to apply to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine program until the following UIIP season.

Hiring a prequalified healthcare agency in pharmacies

Your pharmacy does not need to apply to the 2024–2025 UIIP if you plan to use a prequalified health care agency to administer publicly funded influenza and/or COVID-19 vaccine(s). It is the health care agency’s responsibility to prequalify.

Staff nurse administration in pharmacies

The UIIP User Agreement for Pharmacies with a Licensed Injection-Trained Pharmacist only applies to the administration of publicly funded vaccines by licensed injection-trained pharmacists.

Nurses employed by a pharmacy are not permitted to administer publicly funded vaccines ordered and stored by a pharmacy.

Travelling outside the pharmacy to administer publicly funded influenza vaccine

A pharmacist may administer publicly funded influenza vaccines to recipients that are located within the same geographic boundaries of the pharmacy’s local public health unit.

Pharmacists may not administer publicly funded influenza vaccines to hospital in-patients.

Residents of long-term care homes

New for the 2024–2025 UIIP season, pharmacists can administer publicly funded influenza vaccines to residents of long-term care homes. Pharmacists must store, transport and administer their own supply of publicly funded influenza vaccines.

Pharmacists cannot:

  • administer doses ordered by the long-term care home
  • store their vaccine at the long-term care home

We encourage pharmacies and long-term care homes to explore opportunities to partner for administration of publicly funded influenza vaccine to residents of long-term care homes.

We will send surveys to long-term care homes in July requesting notification of partnership with community pharmacies to assist with allocation of doses.

COVID-19 vaccine program

We encourage pharmacies that are participating in the annual UIIP to also participate in the COVID-19 vaccine program.

Even if you are currently providing COVID-19 vaccines to the public, you are required to renew your UIIP agreement for 2024–2025 to remain eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine program.

Having a valid UIIP agreement in place - including re-applying should pharmacy ownership change - ensures that your pharmacy is meeting cold-chain maintenance and temperature logging procedures with your local public health unit.

Participation requirements

Pharmacies applying to the COVID-19 vaccine program are required to have a valid UIIP User Agreement in place. This applies to pharmacies that are currently administering COVID-19 vaccines, and those who wish to enroll.

Application process

The ministry will contact your pharmacy following submission of your 2024/2025 UIIP User Agreement regarding your interest in participating in the COVID-19 vaccine program.

You can also email C-19VaccinePlanningandImplementation@ontario.ca if your pharmacy would like to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine program.

Information changes due to pharmacy relocation, change in ownership or pharmacy closures

The information provided in the UIIP User Agreement must be consistent with the information within your pharmacy’s COVAXON Agreement.

If your pharmacy information has changed due to relocation, change in ownership or pharmacy closure, you must communicate these updates to your COVAXON agreement to C-19VaccinePlanningandImplementation@ontario.ca.This ensures the information in your pharmacy’s UIIP User Agreement and COVAXON Agreement are consistent.

Any changes to pharmacy information due to relocation, change in ownership or pharmacy closures during the 2024–2025 UIIP season must emailed to both:

When emailing the ministry, you must include the following information:

  • pharmacy’s ON# (old and/or new as applicable)
  • pharmacy name
  • pharmacy address

Influenza-only participation

Pharmacies that hold a current UIIP User Agreement are not required to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

However, we strongly encourage pharmacies to have a COVID-19 / COVAXON agreement in place in the event they wish to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine program. This is especially important if there is a surge in COVID-19 vaccine administration.

Contact

Email UIIP.MOH@ontario.ca for questions about your application.

We will respond to all questions and application submissions within 2 business days.

Contact your local public health unit for questions about the cold chain inspection process.