by: bryan passifiume
pending approval from health canada, toronto is gearing up to administer covid-19 vaccines to children younger than 12.
a vaccination planning group has been established by toronto public health along with local health partners, community stakeholders, schools and the ontario ministry of health to develop a plan to inoculate the city’s 200,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11.
“vaccination plays an incredibly important role in reducing the spread of covid-19 and protecting our community so that children can participate in activities that benefit their health and well-being as safely as possible,” said eileen de villa, toronto’s medical officer of health.
health canada is currently supervising clinical trials to determine the efficacy and safety of covid-19 vaccines in children.
currently, only two vaccines — moderna and pfizer-biontech — are approved for youth as young as 12.
last week,
pfizer said their vaccine induced a ‘robust’ immune response
in children between 5 and 11, matching what was previously observed in 11- to 16-year- olds.
in a report presented before the city’s board of health on monday, de villa recommended the province add covid-19 to the list of nine infectious diseases students are required to be immunized against — putting it on the same level as rubella, measles, mumps and diphtheria.
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toronto ready to vaccinate kids against covid