York Region parents are flocking to get their children COVID-19 vaccinated as appointments opened up last week.
More than 95 per cent of the 12,000 appointments available starting Nov. 22 were filled in the first two days, according to York medical officer of health Dr. Barry Pakes. The region as a whole has approximately 91,000 children five to 11 years old who began getting their vaccines Nov. 26.
Pakes said in a Nov. 29 video update that it is cause for excitement and hope.
“Not only will the vaccine protect children from illness and prevent them from passing it onto parents and families, but it will help them stay in school,” Pakes said. “New appointments become available every single day. Please check back often, and if you haven’t already, book an appointment.”
The age group became eligible for vaccines last week. Pakes said those getting vaccinated now could get their required second dose near the end of January.
Vaccines are available for kids at pop-up and community clinics, but Pakes said public health is working on more school-based clinics. He said they would occur on weekends, outside of school hours.
The region is also planning more clinics for people with needle anxiety after running its first one Nov. 26.
“We look forward to hosting more special clinics like these throughout December to meet the needs of our residents and encourage more vaccinations,” he said.
Pakes said there is cause for concern in pandemic trends. Cases in the province are rising. A new variant of concern, the Omicron variant, is also beginning to spread globally, with a couple of cases found in Canada.
He said the region is preparing for possible cases of the variant, though they have not been found here yet.
“Processes are underway to ensure we’ll be able to detect cases if they do appear,” Pakes said. “It’s going to take several more weeks to determine whether or not the Omicron variant is a significant global threat.”
He said sports-related outbreaks remain a point of concern. He encouraged people to follow health protocols, minimize changeroom time, stay home even if you have only a minor symptom, and come to the sports facility already dressed when possible.
“(Sports) cases are impacting many of our younger residents under the age of 12 and preventing them to go to school in person,” he said.
He added encouragement for children to get vaccinated to avoid quarantining if there is a case associated with their team, as occurred with an U12 hockey team in East Gwillimbury earlier in November.
To book a COVID-19 vaccine, visit york.ca/covid19vaccine or contact 1-877-464-9675. Walk-ins are available for those 12 and older, but those younger than 12 are by appointment only.
