B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix says families should expect to get an invitation for a booster shot for kids aged five to 11 next week and appointments will likely be available by the end of the week.
The booster will be available to any five to 11 year old who has waited more than six months since their second COVID-19 shot.
The province will send invitations through the Get Vaccinated registration system.
“There will be more information and guidelines next week from public health. But we are accepting the NACI recommendations and proceeding. We have vaccine and we expect to get more,” Dix said.
There about 208,000 children in the five-to-11 range who have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose and about 160,000 who have received two doses.
This means about 57 per cent of those eligible have received at least one dose.
Health Canada said Friday it had authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot for children aged five to 11 years at least six months after they had received a second dose.
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Under new guidance also released on Friday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommended the third dose be offered to children who have underlying medical conditions, including immunocompromised kids.
For all other children, NACI said a first booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty (10 mcg) COVID-19 vaccine may be offered at least six months after their last shot.
The province will be using the clinics currently in place to immunize those aged six months to five years old.
“The group we most want to see get vaccinated in that category, children five to 11, would be those who have not been vaccinated at all. The next we would like to see from a public health standard are those that did not complete their series,” Dix said.
“Thirdly, but importantly, are those who would get their booster.”