One-third of Manitoba's new COVID-19 cases are in kids under 12: Reimer
The medical lead for Manitoba Vaccine Implementation Task Force is informing the public on the number of the province’s new COVID-19 cases that are in kids under the age of 12.
“Kids under 12 make about one-third of COVID-19 cases overall,” said Dr. Joss Reimer at a news conference on Wednesday.
“And kids under 12 make up 75 per cent of cases in schools right now.”
Reimer said more and more cases are appearing in unvaccinated populations, including those under the age of 12. She noted Manitoba is not seeing many severe cases in children right now, but said there are some.
“We want parents of youth under age 12 to be ready and to feel confident to decide to immunize their child once the COVID-19 vaccine is approved and recommended by NACI and Manitoba for these young people,” Reimer said.
“In the meantime, if you have questions ask your pediatrician; ask your family doctor, your nurse practitioner, or your health-care provider.”
Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is not approved for children under the age of 12; however, this could soon change for kids aged five to 11.
At the news conference, Reimer said Health Canada is reviewing the use of the vaccine in kids in this age group, and that Pfizer formally asked Health Canada for approval last week.
She noted the province still doesn’t know exactly when the vaccine will be approved for five to 11-year-olds, but health officials believe it could come as early as the middle of November.
Reimer said she understands that people are cautious about vaccinating their kids, and parents need to think about what is best for their children.
“I think it’s really important that parents look to NACI as a source of reliable and trustworthy information, because that’s what NACI does,” she said.
“They really spend a lot of time to make careful and cautious recommendations about what’s best for Canadians.”
Reimer noted that the task force is looking into a wide range of locations where parents will be able to have their kids immunized with consent, including doctors’ offices, pharmacies, and community and pop-up clinics.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.