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'It's been super, super busy:' region sees 2,965 kids receive first dose of vaccine in less than a week

Public Health's dashboard shows 2,695 kids aged five to 11 have received their first inoculation of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine
Vaccine for kids
Guelph resident Caelyn Woods, 11, receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health unit has seen a smooth rollout of the vaccine for children aged five to 11 since inoculations began last Thursday.

As of Wednesday, Public Health was reporting 2,695 kids aged five to 11 have received their first inoculation of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine.

The strong turnout comes following the online booking system showing families were eager to get their children inoculated, with the first week of the booking system completely booked solid and multiple days in December booked out.

With roughly 23,500 children in the region, this means just shy of 12 per cent of the newly eligible population have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A spokesperson from Public Health said more than 29 per cent of the eligible five to 11 population in WDG are either vaccinated or have a booked appointment.

This figure does not include those who are booked through primary care or pharmacies.

Public Health added the new data sets to their website on Wednesday, which now includes the population aged five to 11.

Ross Kirkconnell, executive director of the Guelph Family Health Team said the team has seen over 300 kids come per day since the vaccination clinic opened on Thursday.

“I checked yesterday and the appointments are all booked well into next week at least,” said Kirkconnell. “Once piece I would say, is for the people who are sitting on the fence who just aren't sure, I think there is really important work for them to do good research, look at our public health website, talk to their family doctor and go to reputable sources to find out more about this vaccine and their kids.”

As for the transition from vaccinating adults to kids, Kirkconnell said the team has been working to ensure the process is as comfortable as possible.

“Day one we did it, and we learned from day one how to make day two better, and so on and so forth, and we continue to find ways to make it better hopefully for families, kids and the vaccinators.”

The team is currently reviewing further strategies to implement for the children, which may include the introduction of service therapy dogs to comfort the children.

For those parents still hesitant, Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, the associate medical officer of health for WDG Public Health will be hosting an information session on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

“As we look to vaccinate children ages five to 11 against COVID-19 as quickly as possible, we want to make sure parents and caregivers have all the resources they need to support this decision,” said Tenenbaum. “This information session is just one way Public Health is ensuring people can make an informed choice to protect themselves, their families and their communities.”

Those interested can register and submit questions here 

For those unable to attend, the presentation will also be recorded and shared through Public Health social media channels and on the website.


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Daniel Caudle

About the Author: Daniel Caudle

Daniel Caudle is a journalist who covers Guelph and area
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