TORONTO – Responsibility for vaccinating children ages five to 11 against COVID-19 in Ontario has shifted to local public health units now that the federal government has approved Pfizer’s vaccine for children.
Health Canada gave the green light to the mRNA vaccine for use in young children today, and the Ontario government says it expects to receive the doses within the week.
Public health units, tasked with creating plans to vaccinate children, are expected to establish vaccination sites in schools as supplies become available.
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COVID-19: Ontario Ready to Vaccinate Five-to-11-Year-Olds As Soon As Child Doses Arrive
Toronto Public Health, for example, says that hundreds of schools in the province’s most populous city will host clinics, but no vaccinations will be administered during school hours.
The city will also set up “superhero selfie stations” for kids to get excited about receiving their photos.
Other public health units are also organizing education sessions for parents so they can get reliable information on vaccine safety.
“Health Canada’s approval of the Pfizer pediatric vaccine for ages five to 11 is encouraging news for the health and well-being of children across our province, especially as more people move inland and attend family gatherings during the colder months of this winter, “said the Minister of Health. Christine Elliott and Attorney General Sylvia Jones said in a joint statement Friday.
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Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Ages 5-11 Approved by Health Canada
Experts have long anticipated approval of the vaccine for use in young children, saying it represents a milestone in the fight against COVID-19.
Once that age group begins receiving their vaccinations, the percentage of the population that is susceptible to the virus will decrease.
The time is ripe as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Ontario.
The province today reports 793 new cases of COVID-19, along with four more deaths from the virus.
It’s the highest number of new cases per day since mid-September, bringing the seven-day average to 625.
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Elliott says that 470 of the new infections occur in people who are not fully vaccinated or who have unknown vaccination status.
The province says 269 COVID-19 patients are currently in the hospital.
It says there are 128 people in intensive care due to COVID-19, including 116 who are not fully vaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.
Provincial data shows that nearly 89 percent of Ontario residents age 12 and older have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 86 percent have two.
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© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca