TORONTO — Bookings for COVID-19 vaccinations for Ontario children aged five to 11 open on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Health says parents can schedule appointments as of 8 a.m. Nov. 23.
Bookings may be made through the provincial COVID-19 vaccination portal and contact centre, directly through local public health units using their own booking system, participating pharmacies or select primary care providers.
To schedule an appointment online, children must be turning five years old by the end of 2021.
Shots are expected to be administered as early as Thursday.
The way was cleared for children's vaccinations after Health Canada approved the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is a slightly modified, lower dose.
It will be given in a two-dose series at a recommended interval of eight weeks between doses.
Approximately one million Ontario children are eligible.
Vaccinations for children begin as the province continues to record an increasing number of new cases daily, with 627 reported on Monday compared with 552 last Monday and 480 the Monday previous to that.
Among the new cases, 286 involve fully-vaccinated individuals.
However, health officials say the vaccine is effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization among adults.
According to the Ontario Immunization Advisory Council, clinical trial data suggests the same effectiveness appears to be true for young school-aged children.
