Children aged five to 11 will be eligible to book their appointment to receive the COVID vaccine beginning Tuesday, November 23 says a news release from the Province.
Approximately one million children aged five to 11 are eligible to receive the vaccine.
"We will start to administer the vaccine by next weekend at special clinics for kids," says the North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit. "We expect our initial pediatric clinics to go live on the provincial booking portal tomorrow. The booking portal is already open for bookings in non-specialized clinics."
See: Local Health Unit getting ready to administer children's vaccines next week
“The approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five to 11 is exciting news for families and represents a bright light at the end of the tunnel,” said Christine Elliott, Minister of Health. “Offering the protection of the vaccine to children aged five to 11 is a significant milestone in Ontario’s fight against COVID-19 in advance of the holiday season."
As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, children aged five to 11 across Ontario will be eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through a variety of channels including the COVID-19 vaccination portal and contact centre, directly through public health units using their own booking system, participating pharmacies which individuals can find on Ontario’s website using the pharmacy locator, and select primary care providers.
To book an appointment online, children must be turning five years old by the end of 2021 (born in 2016).
Ontario is expected to receive 1,076,000 doses of the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government, which will then be immediately distributed to public health units, pharmacies, and primary care settings across the province. Appointments across the province are expected to begin as early as November 25 when the federal supply arrives at vaccine clinics across the province.
“Increasing vaccine rates will help to further minimize disruption and keep students learning in a more normal in-class experience,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education.
Children aged five to 11 (and turning age five in 2021) will receive the paediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which is a slightly modified, lower dose (one-third the amount given to individuals aged 12 and over), in a two-dose series at a recommended interval of eight weeks between first and second doses.
Parents or caregivers of children aged five to 11 will usually have to provide consent on behalf of the child before or at the time of the appointment
