Parents excited to register kids through Get Vaccinated with reassurance from BC doctor

Parents with kids 5-11 can now register to book their vaccine appointments. As Kier Junos reports, it’s welcome news, but it doesn’t change parents’ demands for better exposure data and protections in schools.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A Burnaby elementary school teacher says parents she’s talked to are excited they can register their child to book vaccine appointments online, especially with reassurance from medical professionals that the shot is safe for kids.

“There are some parents who are keeping their children home for now until their child can be vaccinated, so the sooner it can happen, the sooner those children can be able to go back to school,” says Jennifer Heighton.

Following an unofficial launch on Saturday, the Province of British Columbia allowed parents with kids aged five to 11 to book through the Get Vaccinated portal. That’s welcome news for school communities where COVID-19 cases have spiked in young, unvaccinated kids.

“It’s important that those five to 11-year-olds get protected,” says Heighton.

The registration process is identical to the one being used for adults in the province.


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Since the start of school, the latest data shows the COVID-19 case rate for kids nine to 11 has shot up to around 45 per 100,000, and kids five to eight have a case rate of around 38 per 100,000.

Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, says the state of the research by Pfizer and Biotech on vaccinating young children shows the shot is safe and effective.

“The study that was done in over 2,000 children of this age given two doses — smaller doses than the adult dose, a third of the dose, three weeks apart — showed that they developed the same level of antibodies as in teenagers, and no new safety concerns were raised. So it seems to be safe and effective, and it will add this extra layer of protection in this population, helping us move forward,” he said.

Parents can only register in advance for now – and there’s still no information available about when the vaccines will be available for kids.

Heighton says the advent of vaccinating young kids doesn’t change parents’ continued demands for better COVID-19 exposure data and more protections.

“If the approval from Health Canada comes through, it’s still not going to be for another couple of months, so we really need to have the other protections in place. That includes better ventilation in schools, better masks for kids and staff to wear, and notifications of what’s actually happening,” she says.

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