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COVID-19: Nova Scotia opens vaccine eligibility for people aged 12 and up

Click to play video: 'Nova Scotia to speed up second doses of COVID-19 vaccine'
Nova Scotia to speed up second doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Nearly half of Nova Scotians have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As Alicia Draus reports, most Nova Scotians will likely get their second dose up to a month sooner than originally planned – May 25, 2021

Nova Scotians aged 12 and older are now able to get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The province’s goal continues to be to immunize as many Nova Scotians as quickly as possible, based on age, to reach a high rate of population immunity,” the province said in a news release late Thursday morning.

Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one approved for use in children aged 12 and up. The Moderna vaccine is only available for those 18 and older.

Nova Scotia chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang has previously said children in that age group wouldn’t need parental consent to get the vaccine.

“Even for our routine Grade 7 vaccinations, they don’t actually have to have parental consent. It’s on the judgement of the immunizer whether the youth is determined to be able to make their own decision around vaccine, and that will carry through for COVID vaccination as well,” he said on May 17.

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“Certainly we’ll be accommodating the need for some youth to be accompanied by parents as necessary through our vaccination clinics.”

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Appointments can be made online or by calling 1-833-797-7772.

While many appointments, especially in the Halifax area, were fully booked late Thursday morning, more appointments will open up as they become available.

No vaccines are approved for use in children under the age of 12 yet.

As of May 25, more than 48 per cent of Nova Scotians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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