Ottawa prepares to start vaccinating kids against COVID-19 this week
Ottawa prepares to start vaccinating kids against COVID-19 this week
OTTAWA -
As Ottawa Public Health prepares to begin vaccinating 77,000 Ottawa children against COVID-19 on Friday, family physicians are waiting to find out when they will receive doses.
The first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children arrived in Canada on Sunday; two days after Health Canada approved the modified version of the vaccine for children between the ages of five to 11.
"We'll definitely be on the computer Tuesday morning trying to get a shot as early as we can," said parent Alicia Robblee, who will be booking an appointment for seven-year-old Reid.
Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches told CTV News Ottawa on Saturday that parents would be able to begin booking COVID-19 vaccination appointments for children on Tuesday, with the first doses administered at community clinics on Friday.
The city will operate seven mass vaccination clinics, ten neighbourhood vaccination hubs and 73 school-based after-school pop-up clinics to administer the vaccine to children.
Meantime, family physicians in Ottawa are pushing for information on when they will receive the COVID-19 vaccine doses to help protect children against the virus.
"Sent an email to Ottawa Health to ask that we receive COVID-19 vaccine in office by Friday, also, so that our patients (kids who preregistered) can come to us," said Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth on Twitter. "Takes pressure off the system Tuesday (when others log into the ON portal)."
Good morning from primary care. Sent an email to @OttawaHealth to ask that we receive #CovidVaccine in office by Friday, also, so that our patients (kids who preregistered) can come to us. Takes pressure off the system Tuesday (when others log into the ON portal). Would be nice! pic.twitter.com/ioYLqVIxGq
Dr. Kaplan-Myrth tells CTV News Ottawa that she's already started scheduling appointments for her young patients, but has no details on when the doses will arrive.
"Yet again we're forgotten, yet again we're begging to please have the vaccine," said Kaplan-Myrth.
"These are kids who have come to us for every single other vaccine since the day that they started getting vaccines when they were two months old."
Kaplan-Myrth is hopeful family physicians will receive vaccines this week.
"Please make sure that it comes to my office midweek so that I can also be immunizing my patients," said Kaplan-Myrth. "That takes pressure off of public health and off of the other systems in place."
Dr. Etches has said the COVID-19 vaccine for children will be available at some Ottawa pharmacies and doctors' offices.
Ottawa Public Health says a parent or guardian must be present for a child aged five to 11 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and consent will be required.
Ottawa parents and guardians will be able to book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment for children through the Ontario government's website when the booking system opens.
An Amber Alert was issued for two-year-old Holdan Keewatin Sunday afternoon, after the Regina Police Service asked for public assistance in the search for the child.
The rapid growth of a long-burning forest fire in central Newfoundland has triggered a state of emergency in the area and the expansion of an outdoor fire ban to the entire province.
Air Canada denied a customer complaint and instructed employees to classify flight cancellations caused by staff shortages as a "safety" problem, which would exclude travellers from compensation under federal regulations. That policy remains in place.
Five people, including a suspect, were taken to hospital with serious injuries after a violent incident that drew a massive police presence to downtown Vancouver's main entertainment district Saturday night.
A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants took effect late Sunday in a bid to end nearly three days of violence that killed dozens of Palestinians and disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that if Russia proceeded with referendums in occupied areas of his country on joining Russia, there could be no talks with Ukraine or its international allies.
A Dutch man accused of tormenting British Columbia teen Amanda Todd via online threats has been found guilty of all charges he faced in connection with the case, a jury ruled on Saturday.
A B.C. wildfire that has forced hundreds from their homes didn't increase in size overnight, but the hot weather Sunday means "containment lines could be challenged," according to the wildfire service.
One of the longest serving MLA’s currently in the New Brunswick legislature says he was the one to offer new Liberal leader Susan Holt his seat should she choose to run in a by-election before the next provincial election.
The rapid growth of a long-burning forest fire in central Newfoundland has triggered a state of emergency in the area and the expansion of an outdoor fire ban to the entire province.
According to police, Lucien Dubois was last seen leaving a residence on Boom Road in his vehicle Friday. He was later reported missing Sunday afternoon.
The City of Toronto has extended the hours of seven city-run pools in an effort to help residents cool off amid heat warnings issued by Environment Canada.
Ontario's legislature is set to resume this week for the first time since the re-election of Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives, with politicians returning amid a health-care staffing crisis and skyrocketing inflation.
Three boys out fishing in Kahnawake on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River spotted a seal on Sunday morning, more than 1,000 kilometres from its natural habitat.
Manitoulin Transport has been delivering, numerous skids of dry pet food and cleaning supplies to Ontario Wildlife Rescue Centres across the province at no charge since the beginning of the year.
Most of southern Ontario currently finds itself sweltering under a weekend heat warning, and London-Middlesex is no exception, as temperatures are expected to reach 40 C with the humidex.
The first week of Folklorama's return to in-person multicultural celebrations is wrapping up, with thousands of Winnipeggers visiting 12 pavilions across the city over the first seven days. Festival organizers say it couldn't have gone better.
The aftermath of the Old Marina Restaurant fire, a storm that tore through Elora, and the continued decreased of real estate prices in Waterloo Region round out the top stories of the week.
Alberta Health Services has issued an enforcement order against a Banff home after an inspection discovered that as many as 42 people were staying inside the property.
Family members, friends and veterans gathered Sunday to pay their respects and remember the lives of Albertans who died while fighting in peacekeeping missions and support operations around the world.
An Amber Alert was issued for two-year-old Holdan Keewatin Sunday afternoon, after the Regina Police Service asked for public assistance in the search for the child.
While the peak of the Perseids meteor shower, one of the brightest of the year, may be next week, now may be the best time to see the astronomical event, according to The Weather Network.
Five people, including a suspect, were taken to hospital with serious injuries after a violent incident that drew a massive police presence to downtown Vancouver's main entertainment district Saturday night.
A B.C. man's lawsuit against Facebook – in which he is claiming $50 million in damages because the social media giant did not take down an "imposter page" – will be allowed to proceed, according to a court ruling.
An Amber Alert was issued for two-year-old Holdan Keewatin Sunday afternoon, after the Regina Police Service asked for public assistance in the search for the child.
Four more ships carrying agricultural cargo held up by the war in Ukraine received authorization Sunday to leave the country's Black Sea coast as analysts warned that Russia was moving troops and equipment in the direction of the ports to stave off a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
