More Than One-Third Of Ottawa Children Booked For COVID-19 Injections Amid Rise In School Outbreaks – Ottawa | The Canadian News

Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical health officer, says she is encouraged by the flood of COVID-19 vaccination appointments reserved for children on the first day of eligibility for those between the ages of five and 11, but expressed concern Wednesday about the increase in new outbreaks affecting elementary schools. .

Etches said Wednesday that more than 27,000 first-dose appointments for children have already been booked in the city in the first 24 hours that reservations were open.

She told reporters during a press conference that those reservations, including appointments she set for her own children, are between this Friday and around December 6, with an additional 33,000 open spaces through December 23.

There are about 77,000 children in this cohort in Ottawa.

“This means that about a third of children will have the protection that even a first dose provides before the holidays,” Etches said.

That is becoming increasingly important as the COVID-19 outbreaks hit the city’s elementary schools hard.

As of Wednesday, 19 elementary schools are in an active outbreak, a figure that has held steady below 10 for several weeks.

While the average number of cases per outbreak in schools remains relatively low, Etches said the trend is enough to raise concern.

“That seems like a significant increase,” Etches said. “This is the least immunized population and it is where we are seeing the most outbreaks.”

Ottawa’s chief physician advised the parents of several children to monitor closely for symptoms and keep a full group of siblings at home if a child exhibits signs of COVID-19 until the test result is obtained.

Siblings who transmit the virus at home are affecting multiple cohorts at a school and causing outbreaks, he said.

Meanwhile, Ottawa Public Health reported 32 new cases of the virus and one death related to COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The number of active cases in the city dropped to 303.

There are now 14 people hospitalized locally with the virus, although no COVID-19 patients are currently in the intensive care unit.

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