Family Health Team COVID-19 Updates

General Services During COVID-19

Please do not come to the clinic without calling first. We do not accept walk-in appointments. Please call to book an appointment.

All patients are required to wear masks when visiting the clinic. If you do not have one, the front desk will provide you with one. You will also be expected to sanitize your hands upon entry.  Thank you for keeping yourself and our staff safe.

November 2021 Update: As of November 19th, you will have the option to book an in-person appointment directly (without an initial phone appointment). We will continue to provide phone appointments for those issues that can be addressed without an in-person visit.

Examples of issues that are usually appropriate for virtual/phone appointments include general health reviews, review of lab results or other tests, non-urgent mental health issues, smoking cessation, or follow-up on an existing issue.  

Examples of issues that should be seen in-person include well-baby or well-child visits, pregnancy, breast/genital/anorectal issues (including urinary tract issues), ear issues, dizziness, any type of injection, chest or abdominal pain, any rashes or skin conditions, and treatment or monitoring of chronic conditions (e.g. diabetes, heart failure, etc.). 

Our front desk staff will help you decide whether you should be booked for a phone or in-person appointment.  It is very important that you are honest about the health issue you are calling about, so that you are booked appropriately.

Important: Nov 2021 - Letter to Bridgepoint Patients

Vaccinations for Children 5-11 Years Olds

Feb 2022 Update: We are now offering the pediatric Pfizer doses at our clinic (430 Broadview) starting on Feb 22, 2022.  If you would like to make an appointment for your child to get a dose here, please call us to book an appointment.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now approved for children aged 5-11 years old.  

We encourage all children aged 5 to 11 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This will help protect them from serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19; increase protection in their family and the whole community; and help children safely get back to the things they love, which is vital for their health, happiness and development.

If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children, please see this Fact Sheet for COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Youth, and an FAQ about the Paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine.

Where to book your child for a vaccine:

  • With us!  Call 416-470-6690.

  • You can book an appointment online using the provincial booking system.

  • You can book an appointment to get vaccinated at the Thorncliffe Park Community Hub via the Michael Garron Hospital booking system or by calling 437-537-5131. This location will be converted to a child-specific vaccine clinic as of Nov 25, 2021, and features: 

    • Separate vaccination pods for improved privacy;

    • Wide aisles to accommodate strollers;

    • Positive distractions, such as puppets, iPads and other activities; and

    • Child Life Specialists who work with children and families to help make the vaccination experience as comfortable as possible.

Vaccines for Adults 

February 2022 Update: 

Please note that we continue to offer Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for adults in our regular clinic space. Who is eligible (and what is recommended):

  • Anyone 12+ years or older that needs a 1st or 2nd dose (ideally given 8 weeks apart)

  • Booster shots (3rd doses) provide better protection, and are recommended for:

    • Age 12-17 years: should get a 3rd dose ≥6 months (168 days) after their 2nd dose

    • Age 18+ years: should get a 3rd dose ≥3 months (84 days) after their 2nd dose

If you are interested in getting vaccinated for COVID-19 at the clinic, please call us to book an appointment. If you have any questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and would like to talk to someone about it, please call and book an appointment to speak to our nurse.

Have questions about the vaccines? 

Exemptions for COVID-19 Vaccines

 As more workplaces and facilities require vaccination, we are experiencing more requests from patients for medical exemptions.

While we recognize the varying opinions and patient circumstances around vaccination, Bridgepoint physicians can only provide vaccine exemptions when medically indicated, as outlined by public health guidelines.

Those acceptable medical exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccination are:

  • An Allergist or Immunologist-confirmed severe allergy or anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to any of its components that cannot be managed (mitigated).

  • A diagnosed episode of myocarditis or pericarditis after receipt of an mRNA vaccine (i.e. Pfizer or Moderna).


If you do not meet one or more of these specific criteria, we cannot provide you with a medical exemption. We are happy to speak to you about any questions or concerns you have about COVID-19 vaccines, but all of our physicians agree that they will not provide exemption letters for any other reasons.

COVID-19 vaccines are a safe and effective, and dramatically reduce your risk of serious infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. All BFHT staff members are fully vaccinated. Please choose to get vaccinated, to keep you and your loved ones safe, and to help us get back to normal.

We are still giving vaccines in our clinic! Call and ask us to book you in for a vaccine in our regular BFHT clinic!   416-470-6690

More information on the vaccines: https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-about-the-vaccines/

Book an appointment in your area to get a vaccine: www.vaccineto.ca

City of Toronto: You can Text “VACCINE” to 1-833-750-0888 for information about vaccines, how to get vaccinated and telephone town halls.

Did you get any COVID-19 vaccine doses outside of Ontario?

If you received any doses of a Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, or Johnson & Johnson) outside of Ontario, you should report these doses to your local public health unit.  For most of our patients, this would be the Toronto Public Health Unit.

If you live in the Toronto area, you can report your out-of-province doses by completing this form.

If you live outside of Toronto, please contact your local health unit. A complete list of public health units can be found here.

If you do not want to use the web-based form, please use the list of public health units above to find your unit's phone number, and call them to have the dose(s) recorded.

IMPORTANT: informing us (Bridgepoint FHT) about your vaccine status is great, but it will not update your provincial vaccine records.  Also, we cannot update your provincial records for you; you will have to contact your local Public Health Unit.

Wondering if you or your child need a COVID-19 test?

Before calling us, please use these screening tools to find out if you need a COVID-19 test, and if your child should stay home or not.

Pregnancy & COVID Vaccines

As you may be aware, pregnancy is a risk factor for more serious outcomes with COVID-19: increased risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, assisted ventilation and death. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) released a statement on April 20, 2021 indicating that it "supports the use of all available COVID-19 vaccines approved in Canada in any trimester of pregnancy and during breastfeeding in accordance with regional eligibility." We are in agreement with this and strongly encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you are able to do so. Pregnant women in Ontario are now eligible, so please check www.vaccineto.ca for appointment information. In addition, there may be pop-up vaccine clinics in your area. A doctor's note is NOT necessary.

You may find the following websites helpful: