On September 27, Toronto Public Health (TPH) announced that it is already gearing up to vaccinate young children aged five to eleven. The agency also revealed that a COVID-19 Vaccination Planning Group has also been organized to facilitate and expedite the administration of the said vaccines as soon as Health Canada gives the green light.
Apart from medical professionals, the COVID-19 Vaccination Planning Group is also composed of the Ministry of Health, community representatives, school boards, and health partners.
The TPH stressed that they had tallied around 200,000 children from the covered age group eligible to get the vaccine jabs. Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, shared that besides the benefits to their well-being and overall health, children who will be given the COVID-19 vaccine are going to enjoy a more diverse range of activities.
Mayor John Tory related that the move to vaccinate young kids five to eleven years old would benefit the city and the whole province. “We continue to do everything we can as a city government to fight COVID-19 and save lives,” he added.
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer stated in a press release on September 20 that it has thoroughly checked its vaccine and found that it is safe to be administered to children below 12. However, the federal government still hasn’t given its approval on the same.
