Ottawa mom drives to Ogdensburg, N.Y. to get son COVID-19 booster shot

With kids returning to class in two weeks, some parents are concerned about the lack of access to COVID-19 booster shots for their children.

One Ottawa mom felt like she was running out of time—and out of patience. 

Katie Gibbs’s six-year-old son is heading back to school soon, and might be the only kid in his class with his third COVID shot.

“Vaccines are the only tool we have left right now to try to give him some protection,” says Gibbs. “You know, we’ve got the doses. We’ve got the vaccine clinics. I don’t see why there’s any delay in opening up the appointments.”

The province still has yet to open up clinics for children ages 5-11 to get boosted, so Gibbs, the former provincial Liberal candidate for Ottawa Centre, decided to go south of the border.

“So yesterday afternoon we took a little family road trip and went to the Walmart in Ogdensburg and quickly and easily got my son Ben his third dose.”

Gibbs said all they needed to do was fill out a bit of paperwork and show some proof of identification. 

When CTV asked the province why boosters are not yet available for kids age 5-11 they said in a statement: “We are reviewing NACI’s most recent guidance and will be providing details for booster shots for this age group in the coming days.”

Health Canada approved booster shots for kids August 19th and NACI—the National Advisory Council on Immunization—recommends kids get boosted six months following their second dose.

“These children are returning to school in less than two weeks,” says Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, an Ottawa family doctor. “An environment in which the province refuses to mandate masks. Even though we know that this will help reduce transmission in classrooms.”

Kaplan-Myrth often runs vaccine clinics. She was scheduled to give out 300 booster shots to kids this weekend but now has to cancel the clinic because she says she can’t get the doses from Ottawa Public Health.

“Ontario is refusing to allow them to release the vaccine until sometime next week when they finally decide that they are willing to do something to help protect children,” she said. Kaplan-Myrth.

The vaccination rate for kids of this age group is already the lowest of any other cohort. Parents say with third doses unavailable, it’s not helping to boost the number of kids being protected before heading back to class.

“It shouldn’t be this way,” says Gibbs. “Everybody should be able to easily go and get their kids vaccinated if they want. Before school starts.”