Newmarket parents will soon be able to get their young children COVID-19 vaccinated for the first time and a leading Southlake Regional Health Centre pediatrician said it's a positive step.
Health Canada announced July 14 that it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine for children between six months and five years old. This comes on the same day eligibility expanded in Ontario second booster doses for those aged 18 to 59 as a new wave of the pandemic rolls in.
Southlake maternal child program physician leader Dr. Charmaine van Schaik said it is welcome news.
“This is a really great opportunity to protect them as well,” she said. “It’s what families have been waiting for.”
Health providers will once again be ramping up vaccination efforts to meet a seventh wave of the pandemic. York Region has opened up bookings for adults of all ages to get an additional booster dose after the province expanded eligibility.
“Now that it's here, I think it’s a great opportunity for us to boost our immunity,” van Schaik said. “It's an opportunity for those with various health conditions to feel more confident in their own immunity.”
The rollout for Canada's youngest kids to get the vaccine will not be immediate but can begin soon with Health Canada’s approval of a new Moderna vaccine.
"After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between six months and five years of age outweigh the potential risks," the organization said in a news release, adding it will closely monitor the safety of the vaccine.
Vaccination uptake has waned between the second and third doses. Approximately 89.5 per cent of York Region residents age 12 and older have second doses, compared to 58.4 per cent at three doses.
The declining uptake is not unexpected, van Schaik said.
“That’s just natural. People sort of go through their vaccination experience and feel like they‘ve done enough for themselves at that time and may feel like they don't need to have additional boosters," she said. "But there definitely will be uptake on the communication around that.”
Southlake is grappling with more hospitalizations, van Schaik said. There are currently 27 patients with COVID-19 at Southlake as of July 14, with four in critical care.
“We’re certainly experiencing increased admissions,” she said. “We’ve seen that over the last couple of weeks now, that’s across populations and across different types of medical issues … We can see it in our staffing as well.”
Health professionals will be working in the coming weeks to continue to advocate and educate on vaccines, she said.
“The main thing — particularly for the young children who will likely be able to get this vaccination in the near future — is just encouraging families to get their questions answered,” she said. “Have the conversation, speak with their health-care providers, and be comfortable with the process.”
