London, Ont. parents looking to get their kids boosted against COVID-19 ahead of the school year will be able to do so beginning Thursday.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) says booster doses of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine will be available for children aged five to 11 at the city’s mass vaccination clinic at the Western Fair District Agriplex as of Sept. 1.
Pediatric booster doses will also be available through the health unit’s mobile vaccination clinic at the London Public Library’s Sherwood Forest branch, and will be available Monday morning at the Caradoc Community Centre mass vaccination clinic.
Ontario’s top doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced the move during a press conference at Queen’s Park on Wednesday.
It comes just over a week after Health Canada approved the booster dose for younger children.
In a statement Wednesday, health unit officials said it was recommended that kids five to 11 receive their booster six months after completing a primary two-dose series of the vaccine. They note, however, that the booster may be given as early as three months after the second dose.
Parents are advised to book their child’s booster appointment in advance through the region’s COVID-19 booking portal as a result of expected demand, the health unit says.
Wednesday’s announcement comes as students in Ontario prepare to return to schools this fall for the first time without COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic.
Data published by the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table shows wastewater signals, an early COVID-19 trend indicator, have ticked up since mid-August after declining for three weeks.
The Thames Valley School Board confirmed earlier this month that it would follow guidance from the Ministry of Education and that masks would not be mandatory when students return to the class next week.
More information on the health unit’s vaccination campaign can be found on the MLHU website.
— With files from The Canadian Press