50% of Toronto children ages 5-11 vaccinated against COVID-19 – Toronto | The Canadian News

The city of Toronto passed a milestone on Sunday, reporting that 50 per cent of children between the ages of five and 11 have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In a press release issued on January 16, the city said that more than 102,000 children are now “helping to protect their families, schools and communities against COVID-19 and the highly transmissible Omicron variant.”

The news comes a day before Ontario students and teachers return to classrooms for in-person learning.

In a statement, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that in just 51 days since the pediatric vaccine rollout began, the city has helped deliver COVID-19 vaccines to 50 percent of Toronto’s children.

“Now, more than 100,000 children ages five to 11 are returning to in-person learning with increased protection from COVID-19,” he said. “These kids are truly public health superheroes, helping to keep their classmates, teachers and families safe.”

Tory thanked parents and caregivers, adding that staff “will continue to work tirelessly to help families stay safe and get this vital vaccine to our city’s children.”

According to the statement, two city-run clinics will also be held on Sunday to offer COVID-19 vaccines “specifically to education workers.”

“The City has worked directly with school boards to fill dedicated appointments at clinics, ensuring that vaccines reach this important group,” the statement read.

In addition, the city said it is also supporting a vaccination clinic on Sunday to be held by the Canadian Association of Jamaica from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Jamaican Canadian Center in North York.

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According to the release, the clinic will administer the first, second and third doses, and pediatric vaccines against COVID-19.

The clinic, focused on vaccinating people from Toronto’s Black, African and Caribbean communities, will feature live music and will also offer blood pressure and blood glucose testing,” the statement said.

The city said walk-ins are welcome and no health card is required.

Ontario numbers

The latest data published by the Ontario government on Sunday suggests that to date, 536,013, or 49.7 percent of children ages five to 11 across the province, have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

However, only 71,471 or 6.6 percent of children in that age group have received two vaccinations.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Ontario’s top physician, Kieran Moore, said he “would love to see more uptake of the vaccine” among younger children.

He pointed to the United States, saying the pediatric vaccine has shown “significant protection against the rare risk of hospitalization in children and intensive care unit use.”

“It’s almost a 20-to-1 ratio, just like we’re seeing in adults,” he said. “The relative risk is much higher in unvaccinated children compared to vaccinated children.”

Moore said he hopes to see the same benefit among vaccinated children in Ontario.

Last week, the provincial government announced it would launch vaccination clinics in schools in a bid to “further encourage voluntary vaccination for children aged five to 11”.

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