Vaccination in 5 to 11 year olds important not just for today, but years to come: Pediatrician
Alberta is getting ready to roll out vaccines for kids between the ages of 5 and 11 if they are approved by Health Canada.
Parents can now pre-register their children for the shot if it is eventually approved by the federal regulator.
For months children have had the highest infection rate in the province. While children are at a much lower per capita risk for serious outcomes, a Calgary paediatrician says that's not the whole story.
"Because there's been so many cases, there have been kids who have had severe outcomes (and) ended up in hospital or intensive care units," said Dr. Jim Kellner, paediatrician and infectious disease doctor at Alberta Children's Hospital. He also sits on the federal COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.
"And there have been children who have ended up with this condition that comes after COVID MIS-C - multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children,” said Kellner.
He cautioned that while kids may not be as efficient of spreaders as adults, that doesn't mean they aren't capable of significant spread altogether.
“Children who are attending school and involved in the community have many more opportunities to transmit," Kellner said. "So even if each time they might be at risk of transmitting the virus is a lower risk, the number of events that, and the number of opportunities to transmit is much higher in children.”
PARENTS EAGER TO HAVE CHILDREN VACCINATED
A recent Angus Reid poll found 46 per cent of Alberta parents are eager to have their 5 to 11 year old children vaccinated against COVID, another 29 per cent said they would not. A further 10 per cent were unsure.
While many in the medical community are hopeful approval of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine could be given before the end of this year, Health Canada still needs to review the data for both safety and efficacy.
“If a higher percentage of children attending school can be vaccinated, that's going to be an important part of helping make things safer going forward, and helping us get back to normal,” said Dr. Kellner, adding vaccination will likely go hand in hand with other measures to limit spread for possibly years to come as the world community works to drive the disease into increasingly isolated pockets.
He said achieving good vaccination rates in children now will not only protect in the short term, but could help in the long term.
"The expectation (is) that some protection will linger from vaccines that could last for years, and that we're likely looking at wanting to protect people from COVID-19 for years.”
Some school boards in Ontario are asking the province to prepare to add COVID-19 shots to the province's list of required vaccinations for school age children.
Alberta does not have any vaccination requirements in schools.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.