As Canada waits for the expected approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11, the Northwestern Health Unit wants to remind parents and children to prepare for when that time comes.
“Parents who have questions or would like to discuss the vaccine with their health care provider can book a consultation with a medical professional at Sick Kids, or they can contact their health care provider,” said Dr. Kit Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health for the NWHU.
The NWHU says the expected timeline to when doses will be administered for kids will be before Christmas.
The NWHU has returned their mass immunization clinics across the region to encourage those who haven’t gotten vaccinated to get their first, second dose, or third dose.
Currently, third doses are only for people with specific medical conditions and those who live in certain settings. If you live in a retirement home, elder care lodge, or are a person living in a congregate setting for seniors (senior’s apartment complex). Your third dose must be given at least 5 months after your second dose.
Young Hoon noted in a media briefing yesterday (November 2, 2021), the reasoning behind the return of these clinics is to handle the high volume of doses the NWHU is expected to receive by this month or next month.
The NWHU will target those aged 5-11 encouraging them to book an appointment.
“We are making our Saturday clinics particularly child and family-friendly and there will be additional supports to those clinics,” says Young Hoon.
On October 18, 2021, Pfizer- BioNTech submitted approval to Health Canada for the vaccine to be used for kids aged 5-11, but no formal announcement has been made by the government.
The NWHU to date has 89.0 per cent of those eligible getting one dose, while 83.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Province-wide 88.2 per cent of Ontarians have gotten at least one dose, and 84.6 per cent have received both doses.
In the NWHU region a total of 128, 361 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on kids aged 5-11.
The FDA provided some key information for parents and caregivers:
- Effectiveness: Immune responses of children 5 through 11 years of age were comparable to those of individuals 16 through 25 years of age. In addition, the vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 through 11.
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Safety: The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children age 5 through 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.
The FDA included the dosing schedule for the kid-friendly vaccine in their press release. The vaccine will be administered in a two-dose schedule, three weeks apart, and is a lower dose (10 micrograms) than that used for individuals 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms).
In the U.S., COVID-19 cases in children aged 5-11 make up 30 per cent of cases in those younger than 18 years of age.