WECHU issues 11,000 notices to students with incomplete immunization records

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2021. (Chris Campbell / CTV Windsor)

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says there are more than 11,000 elementary and secondary school students with incomplete immunization records for this school year.

The health unit issued a news release Monday stating these students are either overdue for more vaccines or have not submitted their updated records to WECHU.

Fewer than half the amount of students have incomplete records this year compared to last. According to the health unit, last year more than 25,000 students were missing vaccine reports.

The Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires all Ontario students to be up to date on vaccinations. Public health units are to maintain and review immunization records for every student attending school in their region. Those not up to date can be suspended from school for up to 20 days, WECHU says.

Notices were distributed through the schools to affected students last week. The health unit says these notices specified which required vaccines are missing from the student’s record and included information on how to update records with WECHU.

Options for students and families includes:

Submitting updated immunization records to the WECHU:

• Secure Online Reporting at immune.wechu.org
• Phone at 519-960-0231 ext. 1222 or 1-800-265-5822 ext. 1222 (toll-free)
• Fax at 519-258-7288
• Contacting their health care provider to obtain information and any missing vaccinations.

Booking an appointment at a WECHU Immunization Clinic:

• The WECHU is hosting clinics at the Health Unit offices by appointment only, starting in mid-December. Public health nurses will be available to update the student’s immunization record and/or administer vaccines if needed. An appointment can be booked online or by calling 519-258-2146 Ext. 1222.

The health unit will conduct another full immunization records review in Jan. 2024 and an additional notice will be sent to those students who still have incomplete records. Those families will have until March 1 (elementary students) and March 8 (secondary school students) to update their records with WECHU.

If records are not updated by this time, suspension notices will be issued.