Information on this page is for all staff who work at long-term care or assisted living facilities located within Island Health, this includes facilities that are Island Health Owned & Operated, affiliates, and private facilities.
- Vaccine Management
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- All staff who monitor, handle or administer vaccine must be familiar with the cold chain process and BCCDC Vaccine Management resources
- Vaccine must always be stored between +2°C to +8°C either in a monitored fridge or cooler packed according to page 6-8 of the BCCDC Vaccine Storage and Handling Guide
- Record the minimum, maximum and current vaccine fridge temperatures at the start and end of each day using the BCCDC Fridge Temperature Form
- Vaccine stored in a cooler for ≥4 hours must be monitored with a min/max thermometer
- If vaccine is exposed to any temperature outside +2°C to +8°C, immediately:
- COVID-19 & Influenza Vaccine Eligibility
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- Vaccine Products
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COVID-19 Vaccines**PENDING UPDATE FOR 2025
Influenza Vaccines
| Inactivated Influenza Vaccines |
| FLUAD |
- All residents and staff 65 years of age and older. If unavailable FLUVIRAL or FLUZONE should be used.
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Pre-filled syringe
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| FLUZONE |
- All residents and staff less than 65 years of age
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Multi-dose vial or Pre-filled syringe
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| FLUVIRAL |
- All residents and staff less than 65 years of age
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Multi-dose vial
Expires 28 days after first puncture
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- Ordering Vaccine
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Facility COVID-19 & Influenza Vaccine Order Form for September 2025
Start placing vaccine orders as of September 26, 2025. Email will be sent with notification when an order has been approved. This email will have information on where (Health Unit) and when pick up can occur. Please allow a minimum of 5 business days from placing an order to requested pick up date.
- First Order: request vaccine doses based on the number of long-term care, assisted living and independent living residents. Vaccine can be ordered for staff, however, staff will also be invited to book an appointment through the provincial Get Vaccinated system. If staff are new to BC, they can register through getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca or by calling 1-833-838-2323.
- Subsequent Orders: place as needed
Begin vaccinating residents as soon as vaccine is available at your facility.
Facilities that contract pharmacists to administer vaccines: each facility should place their own vaccine order using the COVID-19 & Influenza Vaccine Order Form for Facilities, to ensure the correct product is being administered to residents. If a pharmacist will be picking up the vaccine on behalf of the facility, indicate the name of the pharmacy on the order form under Immunizer, and include their email when placing the order.
Picking up vaccine: All facilities are responsible for vaccine pick up on the date indicated in order approval email. Bring an appropriately sized hard sided cooler with insulating materials (e.g., gel packs preconditioned in fridge at +2°C to +8°C, bubble wrap or packing paper AND frozen ice packs. If the proper insulating material is not present, pick up might be refused.
- Documentation
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- All COVID-19 & influenza doses must be recorded in the provincial immunization registry (i.e. ImmsBC).
- Ensure you use the correct Service Delivery Locations for the LTC & AL facility.
- Select Reason for Immunization when documenting. Choose from LTC Resident, LTC Staff, AL Resident or AL Staff.
- Do not use: “routine”, “high risk”, or any other reason for immunization.
Receive Access to ImmsBC:
- Affiliate & Private LTC Homes and Assisted Living (Non-Island Health Staff)
- Facility staff immunizers: email BCVAX-Support@gov.bc.ca for NEW ImmsBC access, support, and onboarding instructions.
Please Note: Previous access & support for ImmsBC through your Island Health account was inactivated as of March 31, 2025.
Island Health Owned & Operated LTC Homes (Island Health Staff)
Supervisor:
- Complete ImmsBC User Account Request Form
- Submit User Account Request Form through PPH Information Systems Services Now Request Form
- What application? Select "Not in the list"
- What is the application's name? Type "ImmsBC"
- Attach the completed ImmsBC User Account Request Form and select "Order Now"
ImmsBC User:
- Complete education as outlined in Orientation for LTC and CHS Provider
Reference Resource - Guidance for LTC and CHS
- Support and questions: Email PPH.Infosystems.Support@islandhealth.ca
- Reporting & Clinic Tally
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A Clinic Tally is to be completed by the immunizer (nurse, pharmacy or site manager) at the end of any clinic, no later than 48 hours post clinic.
For Affiliate & Private Facilities
Site lead or designate (i.e. pharmacy provider) to complete:
Island Health Owned & Operated Facilities (Island Health Staff)
Site Lead or designate (staff member) to complete:
- Staff Reporting
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- According to provincial policy, all licensed LTC facilities must report aggregate data regarding Influenza Immunization Status for Health Care Workers.
- This reporting is required by December 31st, 2025.
- Reporting Forms for non-Island Health O&O facilities will be posted and shared when made available from BCCDC.
- Island Health O&O facilities do not need to manually report to Public Health.
- Island Health employees are required to self-reporting in Employee Self Service (ESS)
- Please ensure staff covered under this policy have completed their reporting.
- All other facilities are required to collect immunization status information from Health Care Workers who work at their facility and submit aggregate coverage data for staff to Public Health.
- Health Care Workers includes all persons who:
- Work or train on a full time, part time or casual basis in a residential care facility or acute care facility as defined above who have direct or indirect contact with patients or residents, regardless of whether they are health care providers.
- Are administrative or non-patient care staff (e.g. medical records, housekeeping and dietary).
- May be contracted staff such as cleaning services, and physicians. Excludes residents, students, and volunteers.
- NEW: Prevnar 20TM (PCV20), Pneumococcal Vaccine Program
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- Respiratory season is an ideal time to review resident eligibility for Pneumococcal vaccine and communicate the importance of this vaccine to residents.
- As of July 2025, a new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine – Prevnar 20™ (PCV20) - has replaced both the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevnar® 13 (PCV13), and the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, Pneumovax® 23 (PPV23).
- For clinical direction, refer to the BCCDC Prevnar20 Biological Products page and the PCV 20 Immunization Program Q&A
- Order Prevnar 20TM: Publicly Funded Vaccine Order Form
- BCCDC Generic Consent Form
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- Reporting Adverse Events
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Learn more about Reporting Adverse Events
- Outbreaks
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- Resources
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- Contacts
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