Children aged 5 to 11 in Newfoundland and Labrador will be able to receive the COVID 19 Pediatric Vaccine at the Mass Vaccination Clinic starting Saturday and will be able to book appointments.
“Apart from new and unexpected developments, this is the last major hurdle we have to overcome in the COVID 19 Marathon,” he said. At a media conference on Tuesday afternoon, State Health Director Janice Fitzgerald.
The news came after Health Canada approved the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 on Friday.
According to Fitzgerald, in a Pfizer clinical study, 90.7% of vaccines prevented COVID19 infection in children aged 5 to 11 years with no serious side effects.
Health Minister John Haggy expects the first shipment of pediatric vaccines to arrive within the next 48 hours, and by Friday the state will be N.L.
Vaccines will be made available to children through schools and community clinics, allowing parents to choose their preferred options.
According to Fitzgerald, the state has about 35,000 children who are eligible for the vaccine.
“I highly recommend parents and guardians of children in this age group to choose to vaccinate their children,” she said.
Like the adult vaccine, the pediatric vaccine is given twice.
Mr. Haggie said parents needed to be notified of the availability of the vaccine the next with other reminders.
“That’s the last brick on the wall,” Haggie said.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has advised children not to get the COVID-19 vaccine for two weeks after they have been given another vaccine, Haggie said.
He said the vaccine will be distributed through local health authorities, school districts, and the Department of Education. Local health authorities will post-vaccination advertisements on school websites, he said.
Children can be vaccinated at public clinics starting Saturday and at school starting next week, and parents can choose the option that’s most convenient for them, Haggie said. Parents and guardians must sign a consent form before their child is vaccinated at school.
Read More: N.L. to start vaccinating children for COVID-19 on Saturday | CBC News
