CHEO kicks off COVID-19 vaccination clinic this weekend
The push to quickly get jabs into young arms continues as kids in the capital rolled up their sleeves for their first COVID-19 vaccine.
Ottawa Public Health says about 1,200 doses were administered to children aged five to 11 on Friday, the first day of the city's paediatric vaccination campaign.
This weekend is the start of CHEO's vaccination clinic through the Kids Come First health team. That's where Tracy Schulz's son, Aiden, is getting his shot.
"They phone me Thursday and the appointment's Sunday," said Schulz. "It's happening pretty quickly and I'm pretty excited about that."
Aiden is a little less excited.
"I just don't like the feeling of something going into my body," said the nine-year-old, who is afraid of needles."
CHEO says its clinic is aimed at easing some of those anxieties.
"The way our clinic is different is we offer more time and space per vaccination appointment and we have resources and support that focus on providing the child with the best experience, a really positive experience," said Stephanie Carter, the director of ambulatory care at CHEO.
Carter says paediatric experts and people from the autism team will be on hand—including CHEO's therapeutic clown, Molly.
The CHEO website states the clinic is geared toward children who are immunocompromised, individuals with autism or anxiety, and those who have a condition that makes its challenged to be vaccinated in the community.
Running Saturday and Sunday, the clinic has capacity for 300 kids a day.
Appointments can be booked by preregistering on CHEO's website.
"We're hoping that the smaller environment's a little bit more intimate," said Schulz. "They're used to dealing with kids and that will make a difference."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.