Children 5 to 11 approved to get COVID-19 vaccine as cases surge in Simcoe Muskoka

Barrie, Ont. -

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit can put into motion its plans to vaccinate children aged five to 11 against COVID-19.

On Friday, Health Canada announced it approved the use of the Pfizer-BioTech child-sized vaccination.

Simcoe Muskoka's associate medical officer of health, Dr. Lisa Simon, said the health unit expects to receive the pediatric version of the vaccine soon and would make it available at community clinics and pharmacies.

"We expect appointments will be available in the provincial vaccine appointment booking system starting early next week for community clinics throughout Simcoe and Muskoka, with the appointments being offered within several days of that," Dr. Simon added.

The health unit plans to work with school boards to roll out the vaccine initiative. It said it was awaiting further details from the province.

In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases have increased across the region to numbers not seen since May.

Earlier this week, the region's chief medical officer of health said the number of child infections had grown.

"The weekly incidence of cases is highest among children under the age of 12," said Dr. Charles Gardner.

The health unit has declared outbreaks at 17 Simcoe Muskoka schools.

On Wednesday, Dr. Gardner announced the health unit was modifying safety measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 among students.

The modifications include requiring anyone 12 and older engaging in indoor sporting activities outside of school to show immunization proof. Plus, those under 19 who are unvaccinated living with an unvaccinated contact of a positive case must isolate for 10 days.

"This is intended to help us reduce further spread in schools," Dr. Gardner noted.

Stevenson Memorial Hospital's critical care specialist Dr. Barry Nathanson has been waiting for the child version of the vaccine to be approved.

"Vaccination among children is important," said Dr. Nathanson.

He noted that immunizing the younger age group would help protect them from the potentially deadly virus and those around them who may be vulnerable.

"The elderly, whose vaccination benefits may be waning, or others, the immune suppressed, for example, and frankly, they [children] are a risk for those who have chosen, for whatever reason, to not be vaccinated," Nathanson stated.

The pediatric dose for children five to 11 is one-third of the dose given to individuals 12 and older.

Health Canada reports clinical trials showed the child version of the vaccine was 90.5 per cent effective in protecting trial participants aged five to 11 against COVID-19.

The most notable side effects included fatigue and headache, but "most were mild to moderate in severity, and resolved quickly on their own," said Health Canada's chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma.

The federal government said Ontario would start receiving doses within the week.