Over 10K COVID-19 vaccination appointments booked in Waterloo Region for kids aged 5-11

By Thursday afternoon, more than 20 per cent of kids in the newly eligible five to 11 years old age group in Waterloo Region had been booked to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Vickie Murray, who heads the region’s vaccine task force, 10,500 appointments were secured in just over two days since the option had become available.

“I’m glad to share that there’s still almost 20,000 more appointments available for our region’s children before Dec. 12,” she explained.

It is estimated that there are around 48,000 kids in that age group in the region so there are still thousands of kids yet to be booked, although it is unclear whether Murray’s tally included appointments at pharmacies or family physicians.

2:47 Ontario COVID vaccine clinics now offering Pfizer shots to children aged 5-11

Some of those open appointments are available for the ‘every dose counts’ weekend at the Cambridge Pinebush Clinic.

The region is hoping to vaccinate 6,000 kids over two days at its largest clinic.

“The staff at Pine Ridge are working hard to bring a festive spirit to the clinic for that weekend,” Murray said. “Extending the hours and bringing in extra staff to provide a fun experience while getting vaccinated.”

She says they have also opened up appointments for eight weeks down the road, when kids will be ready to receive their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m hoping that many people take advantage of these 20,000 open appointments as we work towards our goal of making the vaccine available for all our children before the holiday season,” she said.