COVID-19: Ontario ready to vaccinate kids aged five to 11 as soon as child-sized doses arrive

TORONTO — Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says the provincial booking system should be ready early next week for parents to make COVID-19 vaccination appointments for their children.

The federal government is set to announce Friday that Health Canada has approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for use in the five to 11 age group.

Elliott says Ontario’s public health units will be ready to get COVID-19 shots in kids’ arms just as soon as new supply arrives.

The province needs the new product before it can start administering shots, because the dose for younger kids is significantly smaller than it is for adults.

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Elliott says she expects the vaccines to arrive within days or weeks of Health Canada’s approval.

Public health units have plans in place to start administering shots, which include school-based clinics and mass vaccination sites.

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