The flood in BC is...

Published by Canadian media on November 21, 2021.

As Canada prepares to receive the first batch of children's COVID-19 vaccine today, many jurisdictions have stated that they are ready to start the next phase of the country's immunization campaign, but are waiting for the arrival of the supply before the opening of the appointment period.

After reviewing Pfizer-BioNTech's safety and effectiveness data for a month, Health Canada approved a COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old on Friday.

The regulatory agency said that the dose of the vaccine is smaller than the adult version, the formula is slightly different, and the effective rate of preventing COVID-19 in children is 90.7%, and no serious side effects have been found.

Provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia have adopted pre-registration systems to help children get vaccinated, but have not yet shared detailed plans for the launch of the vaccine.

New Brunswick issued a statement saying that once the supply of pediatric vaccines is received, vaccine eligibility will be expanded to include children between the ages of 5 and 11, but the province did not provide information on when it is expected.

As of Sunday afternoon, many public health agencies in Ontario have not updated their rollout plans. Regions such as Peel, Windsor-Essex and Waterloo said on Friday that they expect to start appointments earlier this week.

The Durham region said on Friday that it expects to open its booking website on Monday, while the Toronto Department of Public Health issued a statement on Friday that it plans to open 20,000 places in city-operated immunization clinics between November 25 and December 5.

Manitoba is one of the few jurisdictions that release reservation information before Sunday. The province announced on Friday that starting at 6 a.m. on Monday, parents and caregivers can start making appointments for the first dose of eligible children over the phone or online.

Sean Sedlacek, a Winnipeg father, said he will make an appointment for his 5-year-old son as soon as the vacancy is open.

Sedlacek said he and his wife felt "an incredible relief" when news broke on Friday that Health Canada had approved Pfizer's pediatric vaccine.

Sedlacek and his wife made an appointment for vaccinations earlier this year and said they hope to do the same for their only child.

"We really just want him to be protected as much as possible," he said. "I know the risk is much lower for young children, but you can't control what other people are doing. I just want to make sure that I do everything I can to protect our family."

At the same time, in British Columbia, parents have been able to make appointments for their children online or over the phone. The province said that as of Friday, more than 75,000 children had registered and added them to the list so that they can be contacted to make an appointment at the beginning of the booking.

Alberta announced a similar pre-registration program, adding that if the dose arrives as expected, the province should start vaccinating later this week.

Saskatchewan plans to release detailed information on its plan to vaccinate approximately 115,000 children aged 5 to 11 on Monday. Health and education officials are working to set up clinics in schools, and Education Minister Dustin Duncan said last week that the government is also developing a plan to ensure that anti-vaccine protesters do not appear in schools as they do in hospitals.

Meanwhile, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said on Friday that the province’s immunization plan will be announced this week, adding that he hopes that 700,000 children within the approved age range will receive the first dose of vaccine before Christmas.

Some public health units are setting up vaccine clinics in schools and expanding existing mass vaccination sites. It is expected that pharmacies and family doctor offices will also provide jab services in certain jurisdictions.

Toronto said hundreds of schools in Ontario’s most populous city will open clinics, but will not issue vaccines during school hours.

Children cannot be vaccinated without parental consent.

Canada is expected to expedite the delivery of 2.9 million child doses, enough for every child in the 5 to 11-year-old age group to have the first injection.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech children's vaccine on October 29, and more than 2 million children have been vaccinated in the United States.

Dr. Samira Jeimy, an allergist and immunologist at the University of West London in Ontario, said that it can be frustrating for eager parents to be told they must wait for their children to be vaccinated.

"I don't blame parents who have been waiting at their seats like me," she said in an interview on Saturday. "From the perspective of trying to keep things in order, I understand, but I think we should really be ready to mobilize everything."

– File from Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton

The Canadian Press report was first published on November 21, 2021.

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