Children aged 12-15 in Guelph can pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine

Guelph’s public health unit says children aged 12 to 15 can now pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The announcement shared on Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Public Health’s Twitter account on Thursday comes a day after Health Canada authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for anyone over the age of 12.

Previously, the shot had only been approved for Canadians over the age of 16.

“This is the first vaccine authorized in Canada for the prevention of COVID-19 in children, and marks a significant milestone in Canada’s fight against the pandemic,” said Health Canada’s chief medical advisor Dr. Supriya Sharma.

Canada is the first country in the world to extend this approval to children.

While children aged 12 to 15 can pre-register in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, public health said it is not booking appointments for the group at this time.

“By pre-registering, we will be able to contact you as soon as there are appointments available for your group,” public health said.

If anyone in this age category falls within another category, such as an essential worker, they should choose the highest on the list of categories on the pre-registration site.

More information on pre-registration can be found on public health’s website.

— With files from Global News’ Rachel Gilmore