The State of Routine Immunizations in Canada

As Canada’s media report daily on vaccination and booster rates against COVID 19, there is a less high profile vaccination story going unreported, the significant drop in the rate of routine immunizations across the country. At a time when public health is at the forefront of the national conversation, we are failing to provide basic protections against critical diseases such as Shingles, Measles and HPV, potentially laying the groundwork for the next public health crisis.

The extensive impacts of the pandemic on vaccination rates are clear, with 1 in 4 Canadians missing or delaying a routine vaccination since the beginning of the pandemic. As governments and health systems across the country are continually faced with challenges brought on by the pandemic, this secondary and very preventable public health crisis of missed routine vaccinations needs to be at the forefront of planning, the cost to an over taxed system is too great to ignore.

With new public health measures in place across Canada impacting the daily lives of all Canadians, join Canadian Club Toronto when our panel will discuss the need to catch up on routine immunizations with strategies and solutions to increase access and vaccine uptake as we continue to live with and recover from COVID 19. This expert panel will be moderated by André Picard, Health Reporter and Columnist for The Globe and Mail and will feature:

Dr. Kelly Grindrod, PharmD, MSc Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo

Dr. Jia Hu, MD, FRCPC, Corporate Medical Director and Physician, Cleveland Clinic and CEO and Co Founder, 19 to Zero

Dr. Christine Palmay, MD, Physician, Midtown Health and Wellness Clinic

Kelly Grindrod, PharmD, MSc , Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo

Kelly Grindrod is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. She’s also a practicing pharmacist and the Pharmacy Lead on the Waterloo Region COVID Vaccine Taskforce. She is the founder and lead for Pharmacy5in5, a popular pharmacy education platform that has developed several vaccine confidence tools through the pandemic. Dr. Grindrod completed her BScPharm at the University of Alberta, and her PharmD, MSc and post doctoral training at the University of British Columbia. She’s been at the University of Waterloo since 2011.

Jia Hu, MD, FRCPC, Public Health Physician, CEO and Co Founder, 19 to Zero and Corporate Medical Director and Physician, Cleveland Clinic

Jia Hu, MD, is a Primary Care Physician and a member of Cleveland Clinic Canada’s Medical Director Program as well as the CEO and Co-Founder of 19 To Zero. Dr. Hu obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University, before going on to obtain his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alberta. He completed his residency at the University of Toronto and St. Mike’s Hospital. A strong interest in Health Policy and Planning led him to London, UK, where he undertook a Masters at the London School of Economics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Most recently, Dr. Hu completed training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Christine Palmay, MD, Physician, Midtown Health and Wellness Clinic

Dr. Christine Palmay graduated from the Western University Schulich School of Medicine in 2006 during which time she was granted with several awards, including a national scholarship for outstanding candidates pursuing family medicine. She completed her residency at the University of Toronto in 2008 and currently manages a busy family medical practice in midtown Toronto. She speaks and writes regularly on topics such as immunization and contraception was honoured by the Federation Medical Women of Canada with their 2016 National Reproductive Health Award.

André Picard, Health Reporter and Columnist for The Globe and Mail

André Picard is a health reporter and columnist for the Globe and Mail, where he has been a staff writer since 1987. He is also the author of five bestselling books. André is an eight time nominee for the National Newspaper Awards, Canada’s top journalism prize, and past winner of a prestigious Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism. He was named Canada’s first Public Health Hero by the Canadian Public Health Association, and a Champion of Mental Health by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his dedication to improving healthcare. André is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, and has received honorary doctorates from six universities, including UBC and the University of Toronto.