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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.