The first weekend of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for kids aged five to 11 in Ottawa saw more than 8,000 tykes inoculated with their first doses, the local public health unit says.
As of Monday morning, 8,475 Ottawa kids born between 2010 and 2016 have been vaccinated against the virus as part of the campaign that began locally on Friday.
That represents 11 per cent of the youngest eligible demographic in Ottawa.
Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, said Monday evening that 40 per cent of kids in this age group either have their first dose or have an upcoming appointment booked in the provincial vaccine portal. This doesn’t account for children getting vaccinated at doctors’ offices or pharmacies.
Across the city, 80 per cent of the total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Some 813,273 Ottawa residents, or 77 per cent of people, have gotten two shots so far.
Ottawa Public Health meanwhile reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 locally on Monday.
Two cases of the Omicron variant of concern have been reported in Ottawa, and two additional suspected cases of the variant are currently going through genome sequencing for confirmation.
There are currently 347 active cases of the virus and 30 ongoing outbreaks across the city.
Eleven people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 in Ottawa, one of whom is in the intensive care unit. One of those in hospital is also a child under the age of 10, according to OPH’s dashboard.