COVID-19 Vaccination for Young Children Begins in Quebec

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In what Quebec hopes will be a tipping point in the pandemic, young children began to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday morning.

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After open appointments Tuesday, at least 80,000 children were registered for their first doses across the province.

At the Palais des congrès vaccination site on Wednesday morning, anxious parents arrived with their children in tow at 9 a.m. M.

Eleven-year-old Karan Kececi was among the first to be shot.

“I felt like it would hurt, because after getting the flu shot I cried a little. But this felt like nothing, “he said after being vaccinated. “I feel good now. It is sad to get COVID, but it is good to get the vaccine.”

His father, Alp, expressed a deep sense of relief.

“With him at school, even though they take all precautions, you still have that big question mark in your head,” she said, noting that there have been cases at Karan’s school throughout the year.

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“You always have this fear about how it will affect him if he succeeds. But now we feel better. “

The center had been reorganized to be more kid-friendly on Wednesday morning, with each site decorated with animal posters and a therapy dog ​​visiting children who seemed uncomfortable.

Richard Vinet had booked a date for his 11-year-old daughter, Mayuki, as soon as he heard the record open on Tuesday.

“I was pretty nervous, but it went really well,” Mayuki said after receiving her shot. “It didn’t hurt as much as I expected.”

Vinet said it was important for her daughter to get vaccinated so that she and others could be protected, but also to allow her to see her extended family again.

Mayuki’s mother is Japanese and her family lives in Nagano, Japan. Mayuki has been going every summer since she was born, but hasn’t been able to since the pandemic hit.

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“She really hasn’t been able to see her family,” Vinet said, “so this is extremely important to us.”

Ali Al Fallouji, there with his nine-year-old son, Ihsan, echoed the sentiment.

“We believe it is important for society, but also to protect grandparents and to be able to travel together soon,” Al Fallouji said, adding that the family has loved ones in Switzerland who have not been able to visit.

Ihsan’s 12-year-old brother, who is already vaccinated, helped him get ready for the day, made him breakfast beforehand, and spoke to him about any concerns.

But when petting the therapy dog ​​during his injection, Ihsan barely reacted.

“It was unbelievable,” Al Fallouji said.

Health Canada approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s reduced dose of its vaccine for young children last Friday, but Quebec had said it was awaiting a recommendation from its own immunization committee.

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That happened on Tuesday, when the Committee on Immunization du Québec recommended the vaccine for all young children “who do not have any contraindications.”

There are about 650,000 Quebecers in the five to 11-year-old age group. Prime Minister François Legault has said that once 80 percent of them are vaccinated, the province hopes to lift most of the remaining pandemic measures.

This story will be updated.

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