Toronto officials preparing vaccination plan for kids 5-11

Toronto officials are working on the city’s plan for vaccinating young children, dubbed the “Team Toronto Kids” vaccination campaign.

Mayor John Tory said Wednesday that the city’s 200,000 children between the ages of five to 11 do not yet have Health Canada approval to get vaccinated, but officials are preparing as the day is “soon to come.”

The city is in the process of planning vaccination clinics including school clinics, and at doctor and pediatrician offices. Some of the clinics will feature “superhero selfie stations” Tory said.

“We want to make [kids] feel like superheroes for getting vaccinated, because they are,” Tory said.

The city says that on top of school clinics and the option for shots at doctor’s offices, the plan for children will also include large, fixed-site clinics, hospital and community-based clinics, as well as 450 pharmacies.

The city also says that public health has identified 30 neighbourhoods for the first roll-out of school clinics. Placement was based on local COVID-19 case rates during the fourth wave of the pandemic, alongside vaccination rates for 12 to 17 year olds. You can read the full list of neighbourhoods here.

According to a news release, that analysis also included the percentage of residents in each neighbourhood who fall below the low-income line, alongside the proportion of racialized people, and the percentage of people living in crowded housing.

The province said Wednesday that Toronto is reporting 42 new COVID-19 infections. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said Wednesday that the city is monitoring a “slight increase” in COVID-19 activity, and noted that some other jurisdictions in the province are experiencing a “rapid increase” in cases.

She urged residents to be careful and follow public health advice.

CBC