Manitoba task force 'seriously considering' school-based COVID-19 immunizations for young students
The medical lead of Manitoba's Vaccine Implementation Task Force says the province is seriously considering a school-based immunization rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine for young students once Health Canada approves vaccines for children under 12.
For now, only children between the ages of 12 and 17 can roll up their sleeves for a Pfizer shot in Canada.
Dr. Joss Reimer, the medical lead of the vaccine task force, said Pfizer is currently working on studies regarding the vaccinations of children under 12. She said the earliest Health Canada might approve the vaccines for children is estimated to be in October.
As for what Manitoba's vaccine rollout for children under 12 will look like—that is yet to be determined.
Reimer said the task force is still working on its plans, but it is eyeing the possibility of bringing the vaccine to students in schools.
"Because we have done school-based vaccines for many years, that is something we are seriously considering for COVID as well," she said, adding no plans have been finalized.
"We are working with education to assess the feasibility of running COVID immunization clinics as well as our routine school-based immunization clinics in the schools this year, and we are also trying to take into account how any plans might have to be adjusted if we did see a fourth wave, for example."
She said school-based COVID-19 immunization programs would be a good way to reach children who otherwise would not be able to get a vaccine at other immunization sites.
"It is something that not only takes advantage of the fact that children are all in the same location, but also is something that people are familiar with and comfortable with because we have done it for so many years with other vaccines," Reimer said.
She said when it comes to consenting to a vaccine there is no strict age cut-off. However, Reimer said public health tries to ensure the person who is consenting—regardless of their age—understands the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the decision they are making.
"There is very few, if any, at younger ages who do have that capacity, so parental consent becomes more and more of a requirement the younger that we get," Reimer said. "But there is no strict cut-off for this vaccine, nor is there for any other service in health-care, and we plan to follow the same processes that have been in place for decades."
Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, said younger children are at a smaller risk of severe outcomes due to COVID-19.
He said given Manitoba's COVID-19 numbers and vaccine rates, the province believes students will be able to return to school this fall.
He said more details about the return to school will be released later this week.
As of Tuesday, 80 per cent of Manitobans age 12 and up have been vaccinated with at least one dose, while 71.4 per cent have received both doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.