REGINA – Saskatchewan says it will offer COVID-19 vaccines for children under five from Friday.
REGINA – Saskatchewan says it will offer COVID-19 vaccines for children under five from Friday.
The health official said Wednesday that the province has received 13,000 doses of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine for children aged six months to five years.
They said that because of the limited supply, the province first opens appointments to those at high risk of suffering severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Parents who have an immunocompromised child can book the vaccine starting Thursday along with other children in the same household who are eligible.
Appointments for the rest open on Friday, when vaccinations will begin.
Last week, Health Canada authorized the use of Spikevax for children, making it the first vaccine authorized for the age group.
The Saskatchewan deputy medical director of health encouraged all parents to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
“There has been a significant number of our youngest population in the province who have so far been unable to access vaccines,” Julie Kryzanowski said.
“Fortunately, most children with COVID-19 have a milder or asymptomatic illness, but some children, even those who were previously healthy, may suffer from serious illnesses and require hospitalizations.”
The Saskatchewan Health Authority said there are 77,000 children in the province between the ages of six months and five who are eligible for the vaccine.
Sheila Anderson, vaccine chief operating officer for the health authority, said an upcoming batch of vaccines for the age group will arrive in August.
He said Canada expects a second shipment of about 660,000 doses, but is currently unsure of how many will be allocated to Saskatchewan.
“I think it’s all our responsibility to vaccinate ourselves and encourage our loved ones to get vaccinated and hold these conversations,” Anderson said.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 20, 2022.
Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press