18,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments booked for children in Manitoba Monday
Thousands of Manitoba parents jumped at the opportunity to book a COVID-19 vaccine for their children Monday morning.
Health Canada approved the Pfizer vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11 late last week. Appointments opened for this age group in Manitoba on Monday morning at 6 a.m.
"It was an early start. I got up at about 5:30 a.m. to get logged in and ready to go for 6," said Susan Wingert.
Wingert said she did have issues loading the province's booking website, but was able to book an appointment her child scheduled for later this week.
"The prospect of school being safe and not going remote anymore and returning to normal extracurricular activities and all that stuff, he's pretty pumped about it," Wingert said.
As Monday evening, a provincial spokesperson told CTV News around 18,000 appointments have been booked.
“We do expect that according to the results of our research here in Manitoba a large majority of parents will be getting their children immunized,” said Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the Vaccine Implementation Task Force, at a news conference on Monday.
“I want to assure you that we will have ample supply of the vaccine to meet this demand.”
Reimer noted the province expects a shipment of the pediatric vaccine to arrive in Winnipeg on Tuesday. She added that the vaccine will be arriving at participating medical clinics and pharmacies between Nov. 25 and 29.
“Let me be clear that none of the pharmacies or clinics currently have the pediatric vaccine, but they will very soon,” she said.
“As soon as the details are finalized on which sites will have the vaccine, we will update the vaccine finder map so you can look there to see where all of the options are available to you.”
Parents can currently book appointments at provincial vaccine clinics, with the first appointments starting on Thursday.
“There’s more good news. The clinical trials show that even with the lower dose, the immune response in younger children was just as good in people aged 16 to 26,” she said, noting there were also no cases of myocarditis identified in the trial for this age group.
Reimer said that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends a dosing interval of eight weeks between the first and second for kids aged five to 11.
“Likewise, for most children, Manitoba will use an eight-week interval between dose one and dose two,” she said.
“The eight-week interval has been shown to provide a stronger and longer-lasting protection against COVID-19. However, in some situations doses may be given closer together after discussing the risks and the benefits with your child’s health-care provider or as recommended by the relevant public health authority.”
RBC CONVENTION CENTRE TO STOP ACCEPTING WALK-INS
The province's booking system is now open for the 5 to 11 age group with the first appointments scheduled for later this week.
The vaccine site at the RBC Convention Centre will stop accepting walk-in appointments later this week as the province prepares to start vaccinating kids aged five to 11 against COVID-19.
The Manitoba government made the announcement on Monday, saying it is making the change as it anticipates a high number of appointments for kids aged five to 11. The new policy at the convention centre will take effect on Thursday. Nov. 25.
Manitobans will still be able to get vaccinated at the RBC Convention Centre by making an appointment online or by calling the vaccine call centre at 1-844-626-8222.
-with files from CTV's Michelle Gerwing
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.