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home / 世界杯决赛2022

covid-19 guide: everything you need to know about vaccinations for kids 5 to 11

a decision by health canada on vaccinations for kids ages 5-11 is expected before the end of november.

by jacquie miller

nov 17 2021
read time 6 minute read
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covid-19 guide: what you need to know about vaccinations for kids
mason lawrence, 9, gives a thumbs-up after receiving a covid-19 vaccination at a pop-up site in new york city on nov. 8. the vaccine was cleared for children ages 5-11 in the united states in early november. michael m. santiago / getty images
by: jacquie miller
for many parents, the best christmas present this year would be a covid-19 shot in the arm for their elementary school children.
with rates of covid-19 rising in ontario this month, parents wait anxiously for vaccine protection to be extended to children ages five to 11. that age group has the highest rates of covid-19 in both ottawa and ontario.
 

there’s a good chance the pfizer-biontech vaccine for kids age five to 11 will be approved in time to deliver first shots before the christmas holidays, b ut it would probably be early in 2022 before those children could be considered fully vaccinated.

here’s a guide.
when will the vaccine for children age five to 11 be approved?
health canada is reviewing data for the pfizer vaccine. an official said late last week that a decision would be made in a week or two — so by the end of november.
there is no guarantee that health canada will approve the vaccine for use in canada, but it’s widely expected to do so.
the federal government has a deal with pfizer to buy 2.9 million doses, enough for a first dose for every child in canada.
in addition, a national advisory committee of independent experts recommends how covid-19 vaccines should be used, such as the interval between doses. there’s no deadline for that recommendation, but the national advisory committee on immunization (naci) is already reviewing pfizer data and indications are there will not be a lengthy delay.
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while naci usually meets every two weeks, it “holds extra meetings as needed to ensure the timely release of advice, which they did for the forthcoming pediatric recommendations,” a health canada spokesperson said.
then it’s up to provincial governments to decide “who, how and when” to vaccinate residents, health canada says. provincial governments pay close attention to naci advice, but don’t have to follow it.
why is it taking so long in canada, when kids age five to 11 in the u.s. are already receiving pfizer shots?
the company applied for approval of the pfizer vaccine in the u.s. earlier. the regulatory process is different in each country.
the vaccine for children received final approval in the u.s. on nov. 2, and kids were getting shots the next day.
when will shots go in arms in ottawa?
local public health units are responsible for delivering the vaccines. they have plans ready to go as soon as ontario gives them the go-ahead.
will older kids get the shots first? 
probably not. there is not expected to be a shortage of vaccines, ottawa medical officer of health dr. vera etches said during a meeting earlier this month. all children from five to 11 are expected to be eligible to be vaccinated at the same. that will also make it easier for parents with more than one child who want to book those vaccinations  at the same time, she said.
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where will children receive their vaccination?
in ottawa, parents will have multiple choices. most shots will be delivered at one of seven large community clinics operating seven days a week. but vaccines will also be dispensed at more than 200 pharmacies, some doctors’ offices, pop-up clinics at schools and possibly clinics set up in partnership with first nations, inuit and metis partner groups, marie-claude turcotte, manager of immunization for ottawa public health, told the board of health this month.
there will be about 25 school pop-up clinics a week. vaccines will only be given when school is not in session. the schools have not been identified, but they will be in both rural and urban areas and in all four school boards in the ottawa region.
cheo and the ottawa hospital will help in vaccinating children with allergies and complex medical conditions.
why aren’t children just given the shots at schools during the day?
ontario health minister christine elliott has said the vaccines won’t be administered at schools during class time because many parents will want to accompany their children.
in addition, schools now ban most visitors due to pandemic safety rules. running vaccine clinics during the school day would mean thousands of parents trooping into those buildings.

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clinics during the school day would also disrupt school routines for weeks, tying up gymnasiums and other spaces.
will vaccine clinics be kid friendly?
ottawa public health says it will make clinics child-friendly, maybe using stickers and signs, but details are still being worked out.
in toronto, authorities have promised to make getting the vaccine fun, with “team toronto” superhero characters at “selfie stations.”
“…kids will have a chance to be a team toronto superhero and help protect our city,” posted joe cressy, chair of that city’s board of health.
in ottawa, health-care staff at vaccine clinics will try various strategies to help children who are anxious, including numbing cream and offering private areas to get the vaccine.
public health nurses have a lot of experience giving shots to kids, turcotte said. etches says the attitude of parents is key since children take their cues from the adults.

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is parental approval required to get the vaccine?
yes. children from five to 11 vaccinated at oph clinics need parental consent.
is the vaccine mandatory?
no. the province has not added the covid-19 shot to the list of vaccines children must receive to attend school.
what is the length of time between the first and second dose?
that will be determined once the vaccine is approved in canada. in pfizer trials and in the rollout of the vaccine in the u.s., it’s 21 days.
how long will it take to give all kids age five to 11 in ottawa their first dose?
it will take about four weeks to offer a first dose to every eligible child, oph said. there are 77,000 children in that age range. the goal is to vaccinate 90 per cent of those kids, turcotte said.
if the interval between doses is 21 days and it takes another four weeks to deliver a second dose, the vaccination campaign will take at least a couple of months.
is the dose for children smaller?
yes. the pfizer vaccine for children aged five to 11 is one-third the dose of the vaccine used for people ages 12 and up.
why do kids from ages five to 11 all get the same dose? should children who are nearly 12 or weigh more get the larger dose?
no, experts say. the vaccine trial doses were based on the children’s age, not their weight.

kids and teenagers have strong immune systems, which means they also tend to have more side-effects from vaccines, such as fever and chills, said kelly grindrod, a professor at the university of waterloo’s school of pharmacy who co-authored a fact sheet on the pfizer vaccine for kids .

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the pfizer trials for children ages five to 11 tested 10-microgram, 20-microgram and 30-microgram doses, she said. (the 30 mcg dose is given to people age 12 and up.)
the trials found that a 10-mcg dose produced a similar amount of antibodies to a 30-mcg dose, but with fewer fever and chills, grindrod said. in other words, the lower dose for children worked well, but had fewer side-effects.
jmiller@postmedia.com

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