Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will not be made compulsory for children, as the government sets a target date of June for vaccinations of those aged 12 to 17.
Elliott made the comments Wednesday at a vaccination plan update.
“Many young people will require parental consent to have the vaccine or not. If the parents do not wish to have their son or daughter vaccinated, and that approval is required, it wont be forced upon them,” Elliott said.
“We encourage people very strongly to receive the vaccine as soon as its their time to protect themselves and their loved ones, but at this point it will not be compulsory.”
Elliott said that is has been a matter of choice if people wish to receive a vaccine.
Earlier, Ontario confirmed a target date of June for children over the age of 12 to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine which was approved by Health Canada for that age group last week.
In some areas such as Guelph and Waterloo, parents have been able to pre-register their children to get a vaccine as soon as appointments become available.