Ottawa health officials hope to put parents and kids at ease for the COVID-19 vaccine
Needles can be scary for children, so health officials in Ottawa are making plans for vaccination clinics, and the experience of getting the COVID-19 vaccine, to be as stress-free as possible.
And two days before the first doses will be administered to children, officials are offering tips for parents and children on what to expect and how to prepare for the shot.
When clinics across the city open on Friday to offer children ages five to 11 a COVID-19 vaccine, Ottawa Public Health will be ready to welcome families into a warm and caring environment. There will be posters and stickers for children, and perhaps even a lollipop.
Public health nurse Katie Souliere has more than a decade of experience immunizing children and is helping to create the friendly atmosphere.
"Fear not, there’s going to be lots there for kids," says Souliere. “We’re going to have a selfie station which has some vaccine superheroes you can take your child’s picture at and they can share with their friends."
When the time arrives for children to roll-up their sleeve, it may not be picture-perfect and Souliere has some advice to help quell kids worries.
"The parents do such a huge role and such a good job at keeping their child calm and comfortable," says Souliere. "For children who have a little more fear of the pain of the injection which only feels like a pinch don’t tell them it won’t hurt, say it will feel like a little pinch. Being honest is important."
Distractions are a good idea too. Kids can benefit from having their favourite stuffy, toy or blanket. Listening to music or watching videos on a tablet or phone.
Souliere also suggests that if your child is on the younger side of the age group, try not to tell them about the vaccination appointment too far in advance as it can cause added stress and anxiety. On the other hand, older kids can benefit from earlier notice.
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario has created a video with kids, for kids to explain the process of vaccination, as well as to provide coping strategies, as well as other resources for parents.
Children in the video list the three steps to getting a shot and answer some questions that they may have.
CHEO child life specialist Maryse Deslaurier can answer the questions, as well as provide other useful tips, especially for kids who may have a phobia of needles.
"Hand breathing, so you use your hand and you take a big deep breath in and you move your finger up your finger stop at the top for two seconds and you exhale and you follow your fingers all the way through," says Deslaurier. "At the end of it you’ve taken five deep breaths it’s helped you calm your body down it’s given you some time to regroup."
When it’s time for the shot, Deslaurier says to think about pizza.
“By the time you thought about all the favourite toppings you want to put on your pizza your vaccines over,” she says, adding this final tip. “Sometimes if you’re feeling scared it’s hard to do so you gotta celebrate that you did something that was difficult.”
So kids, be sure to get your treat when it's over.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.