Amid lagging paediatric COVID-19 vaccination rates in Ontario, a local family physician once again put on a 'Junior Jabapalooza' to immunize children between the ages of 5 and 11.
Ten-year-old Katja Einarson got her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, doing her part to keep the community safe.
"I'm doing fine, the person who did it made it numb, so I didn't feel anything at all," Einarson said.
"The vaccines are a step toward protecting our kids and everybody in the community," added her dad Leif Einarson.
Ottawa family physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth put on the clinic once again in an effort to help boost vaccine coverage for kids.
"Kids from ages 5-11 coming for their first or second doses, coming inside, and we're doing drive through for children with disabilities," said Dr. Kaplan-Myrth.
"Right now, the risk is still very high that kids will get COVID at school, and by having two doses, the children are significantly better protected," she added.
Ontario's paediatric vaccination rates are among the lowest in the country. Just 51.9 per cent of kids between 5 and 11 across the province have had at least one shot. In Ottawa, 66 per cent of children aged 5 to 11 have received one shot, while 16 per cent have received two doses.
The COVID-19 vaccination coverage among kids, some experts say, is increasingly important with a recent return to in-person learning.
"In general for that group vaccinating them can help them but also the community. For them I really worry about their mental health and keeping schools open," said Dr. Doug Manuel, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital.
Dr. Manuel is also driving the importance of a booster shot for adults, suggesting a change to vaccine passports could be needed.
"A two-dose passport doesn't make a lot of sense scientifically, a three-dose passport does, but it's a another mandate, and it's not perfect," said Dr. Manuel.
And so, while kids like Katja did their part Sunday, she has a message for many in the province still without a shot.
"It makes it safer to have your second dose and they really should get it if they feel it's safe for them," she said.
Clean-up efforts are underway after a massive thunderstorm on Saturday left a trail of destruction in Southern Ontario and Quebec.
Global health officials have sounded the alarm over rising cases in Europe and elsewhere of monkeypox, a type of viral infection more common to west and central Africa. Here's what we know about the current outbreak and the relative risk.
Clean up is underway after 43 CP Rail train cars carrying potash left the track Sunday morning east of Fort Macleod, Alta.
The death count related to a destructive storm that ripped through much of southern Ontario continues to rise
Hydro Ottawa says it will take several days to restore power and clean up after a severe storm damaged hydro poles and wires on Saturday.
Canada's Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino insists the once unknown fate of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig was not why the government delayed its decision to ban Huawei technologies from Canada's 5G network.
Ahead of his one-year anniversary on the Supreme Court of Canada this July, Mahmud Jamal spoke with CTV National News National Affairs Correspondent Omar Sachedina to reflect on his past year on the bench.
Kim Sigurdson, a Métis philanthropist from Manitoba, travelled to Ukraine in early May on his own dime to bring support to displaced Ukrainians.
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Sunday began enforcing an order requiring all female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on-air. The move is part of a hard-line shift drawing condemnation from rights activists.
One fisherman has died following an incident that occurred Saturday involving a cardiac arrest at the Loch Alva Dam in New Brunswick.
Environment Canada has issued a tornado watch for various regions in New Brunswick on Sunday.
Two new Haligonians won the Blue Nose Marathon Sunday, and for both, it was their first time winning a marathon.
The death count related to a destructive storm that ripped through much of southern Ontario continues to rise
Ontario’s top public health official issued issued an order to healthcare providers requiring them to report any possible or suspected cases of monkeypox to local authorities.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie readily admits that her city was “built with a vision that land and gas is cheap,” a concept which for years meant “four-bedroom homes and large boulevards” to carry office workers to Toronto.
In the wake of the major wind and thunderstorms that battered Quebec and Ontario on Saturday night, a tornado watch has been issued in the province's Eastern Townships and other regions.
Powerful thunderstorms hit Quebec late Saturday afternoon and evening. In all, Hydro-Québec reported 1,237 outages affecting 468,837 homes across the province.
Clean-up efforts are underway after a massive thunderstorm on Saturday left a trail of destruction in Southern Ontario and Quebec.
As the May long weekend kicked off, a massive thunderstorm in southern Ontario and Quebec brought strong wind gusts that knocked down trees, took out power and left at least five people dead.
Hydro Ottawa says it will take several days to restore power and clean up after a severe storm damaged hydro poles and wires on Saturday.
Three people are dead and more than 350,000 are without power after an intense thunderstorm pummeled southern Ontario Saturday afternoon.
Many people in London, Ont. are still cleaning up debris while 2,500 remain without power Sunday morning after a powerful severe thunderstorm rolled through southern Ontario Saturday.
A short but powerful thunderstorm came through southwestern Ontario Saturday, killing several people and injuring others.
Ontario health officials say another two people have died after contracting COVID-19.
Global health officials have sounded the alarm over rising cases in Europe and elsewhere of monkeypox, a type of viral infection more common to west and central Africa. Here's what we know about the current outbreak and the relative risk.
Crews with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) extinguished a fire at a Main Street hotel on Sunday morning.
The death count related to a destructive storm that ripped through much of southern Ontario continues to rise
The City of Kitchener says it's planning additional clean-up of storm debris on impacted streets following Saturday's severe storm that rolled through Southern Ontario.
A man is dead after a fatal single vehicle crash in Cambridge, according to police.
A severe thunderstorm caused extensive damage, fallen trees, downed hydro lines and power outages across Southern Ontario on Saturday.
Clean up is underway after 43 CP Rail train cars carrying potash left the track Sunday morning east of Fort Macleod, Alta.
The Calgary Flames know the recipe they want to follow in their Western Conference second-round playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.
Frontline workers are giving members of the public and inside look on Sunday into how medical equipment is used in the back of an ambulance as Alberta Health Services (AHS) celebrates the kickoff to National Paramedic Services Week.
Clean up is underway after 43 CP Rail train cars carrying potash left the track Sunday morning east of Fort Macleod, Alta.
The work of staff known as Peacekeepers has been an integral component of the success of the Saskatoon Tribal Council Wellness Centre, a city report says.
From Rankin Inlet, Nunavut to Ochapawace, Saskatchewan, Indigenous hockey teams from all over Canada are in Saskatoon this weekend playing in the Fred Sasakamoose "Chief Thunderstick" National Hockey Championship.
Family members remember one of the men killed in Chinatown this week as a kind and hardworking man, and hope that his needless death will lead to change.
As the Oilers look to take home ice for the first time in the Battle of Alberta playoff edition, a significant presence is missing from the team's dressing room.
A group of animal rights activists gathered at the Whitemud overpass Saturday, calling for the release of Lucy the elephant from the Edmonton Valley Zoo.
Police in Surrey are looking for a suspect following an alleged sexual assault at a home in the Saint Helen's Park neighbourhood.
Vancouver police say they have arrested a man after an assault in South Vancouver Saturday morning.
A Kelowna man has successfully appealed a $1,000 fine he was issued for "causing or permitting" his poodle to become a dangerous dog.
Officers of the Regina Police Service (RPS) responded to a report of a robbery just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday night, according to a news release.
Canada's Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino insists the once unknown fate of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig was not why the government delayed its decision to ban Huawei technologies from Canada's 5G network.
With the construction season in Saskatchewan getting underway; the provincial government laid out its plans to improve approximately 1,100 km of provincial highways in 2022.
