📣 High-risk Ontarians need timely access to the publicly funded Nuvaxovid vaccine!
Let Ontario’s health minister and MPPs know that high-risk people deserve access to publicly funded Nuvaxovid (formerly Novavax) COVID-19 vaccine doses — not just Moderna — during the high-priority rollout (September 28–October 25), rather than delaying Nuvaxovid access until the general rollout (after October 26).
✉️ Send letters to the health minister and MPPs to support earlier access to publicly funded Nuvaxovid, both this year and future years. Use our online tool to send emails.
Why take action? Ontario has announced that there will be publicly funded access to the Health Canada-approved Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine (formerly Novavax) in fall 2026. However, this world-leading vaccine — the only protein-based, non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in Canada — will not be available to high-risk Ontarians during the high-priority rollout that runs from September 28 to October 25. Only Moderna’s mRNA vaccine will be shipped to Ontario pharmacies for this group. Pharmacies cannot start ordering Nuvaxovid until the week of October 26, with deliveries likely arriving in late October or early November.
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has noted in its guidance that mRNA vaccines are not superior to Nuvaxovid. Many Ontarians, including people with disabilities and immunocompromised people, rely on Nuvaxovid because it reduces the risk of side effects to which they are especially vulnerable. For people with medical contraindications to mRNA vaccines, Nuvaxovid is the only COVID-19 vaccine option. Some high-risk Ontarians have had to pay out of pocket for Nuvaxovid due to the lack of access to publicly funded Nuvaxovid during the high-risk rollout. However, this is beyond the reach of many disabled and lower-income Ontarians.
In February 2026, the Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network released an open letter, signed by doctors and stakeholder organizations across Canada, recommending that governments restore access to Nuvaxovid and reduce delays and bureaucratic barriers, including barriers faced by high-risk individuals.
Delaying access until late October forces high-risk Ontarians who need Nuvaxovid to wait several extra weeks to get vaccinated. This artificial barrier undermines the goal of providing high-risk Ontarians with timely access to COVID-19 vaccine protection. In addition, because Nuvaxovid doses expire at the end of December, delaying Nuvaxovid access until late October/early November significantly narrows the time window in which high-risk Ontarians and others can access this life-saving vaccine.
Please take a moment to support timely access to Nuvaxovid during the high-priority rollout.
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We need expanded COVID-19 vaccine choices
More information
To:
List of contacts
Cc:
- France Gélinas, Critic, Health, fgelinas-qp@ndp.on.ca
- Dr. Adil Shamji, Critic, Primary Care, Urgent Care and Public Health, ashamji.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
- Mike Schreiner, Leader, Green Party of Ontario, mschreiner@ola.org
Subject: Nuvaxovid access for high-risk Ontarians now!
Message template:
I am writing to request that you provide high-risk Ontarians access to publicly funded Nuvaxovid (formerly Novavax) doses during the high-priority rollout (September 28-October 25), rather than only providing the Moderna mRNA vaccine during that period and delaying Nuvaxovid vaccine access to October 26. Other provinces, such as British Columbia and Saskatchewan, have already begun distributing publicly-funded Nuvaxovid. Why is Ontario delaying access to this world-leading Health-Canada approved vaccine?
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has noted in its guidance that mRNA vaccines (e.g. Moderna) are not superior to Nuvaxovid. [1] As a protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid uses different technology, and research suggests it causes fewer short-term side effects, such as fatigue, fever and muscle pain. For people with chronic illnesses already managing debilitating fatigue or pain, minimizing these reactions is particularly important. Also, for people with medical contraindications to mRNA vaccines, Nuvaxovid is the only COVID-19 vaccine option. These and other reasons for providing Nuvaxovid access are outlined in a February 2026 open letter by the Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network [2] and in a 2026 scientific overview of the benefits of Nuvaxovid in terms of lower reactogenicity and potentially higher effectiveness for immunocompromised people [3].
Delaying Nuvaxovid access until the general rollout (after October 26) forces high-risk Ontarians who need Nuvaxovid to wait several extra weeks to get vaccinated. This unnecessary barrier undermines the goal of providing high-risk Ontarians with timely access to COVID-19 vaccine protection. The delay begs the question as to why only Moderna is being offered during the high-priority rollout this year; is it because it is manufactured in Quebec and Ontario?
This is a safety and equity issue for high-risk Ontarians that requires leadership on your part. Please ensure that high-risk Ontarians can access publicly funded Nuvaxovid COVID-19 doses during the high-priority rollout this year as well as in future years.
Notes: [1] National Advisory Committee on Immunization. “Guidance on the use of COVID-19 vaccines for 2025 to summer 2026”: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/vaccines-immunization/national-advisory-committee-immunization-statement-guidance-covid-19-vaccines-2025-summer-2026.html. [2] Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network. “Expanded COVID-19 Education and Vaccine Choices for all Canadians” (February 2026): https://immunocompromised.ca/accelerated-access-covid19/. [3] Jeff Gilchrist and Paul Seaman, “What is the Nuvaxovid COVID vaccine and how is it different?” (October 2026): https://tinyurl.com/NuvaxovidVaccine (see in particular “Reactogenicity of Nuvaxovid” and “Effectiveness and Immunocompromised People”).
Sincerely,
[Your name and email address]