Here's when Waterloo Region will start vaccinating 5-11-year-olds

KITCHENER -

Health partners in Waterloo Region will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to children between five and 11 years old on Friday.

Appointments will open on the region's vaccination booking site for that age group on Tuesday.

A news release from the region said they've opened "a sufficient number of appointments" for the next four weeks so children can get a first dose before the holidays.

Health Canada announced the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children under 12 on Friday and the first doses of the child's vaccine landed in Canada over the weekend.

Vaccines will be administered at regional clinics, primary care offices and pharmacies.

Ontario released its guidance for vaccinating children on Monday. The region said it will receive vaccine doses for children between five and 11 in two shipments in the coming days.

Children in this age group can receive their second dose in eight weeks.

Kelly Grindrod, a vaccine expert at the University of Waterloo, said the region has put a lot of planning into making the mass vaccination sites kid-friendly.

"Including building it around how kids want to get their vaccines," Grindrod said. "You've got a lot of really experienced vaccinators as well who might be very good at working with kids, distracting kids."

The region said its three clinics, located at Cambridge Pinebush, The Boardwalk and Wellesley, will only administer first and second doses between Nov. 27 and Dec. 12 to prioritize vaccinating children.

Pinebush will increase capacity on Dec. 11 and 12 with a goal to vaccinate 3,000 children per day for an "Every Dose Counts" event.

Anyone eligible for a third dose will be able to get one at a regional clinic until this Friday. Third dose appointments will open again on Dec. 13.

The region said it's working with local school boards to create opportunities to vaccinate children at schools. Dates and locations of school vaccination clinics will be available in the coming days.

Anyone with concerns about the vaccine is encouraged to speak with their family doctor, paediatrician or another health professional. Resources are also available on the region's website.

FAMILY DOCTORS OFFER VACCINE CLINIC IN GUELPH

Family doctors in Guelph have teamed up to offer a vaccination clinic for children between five and 11 at Stone Road Mall.

“With the expectation of vaccinating the roughly 10,500 Guelph children in this age group, having one site with easy access is the goal. The site in the mall (near the escalator and elevator to lower level) is a great collaboration between the Guelph Family Health Team and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. We have collaborated to pull this together quickly to make this important public health measure as successful as possible," Ross Kirkconnell, the executive director of the Guelph Family Health Team, said in a news release.

The clinic will be open 1 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, staring on Nov. 25. It will stay open until Dec. 16.

Currently, appointments can be booked by phone at 1-800-265-7293 x 7006. Online appointments should open through WDG Public Health over the next few days, the release said.

Once the clinic wraps up, vaccines will still be available at public health clinics, doctors offices and pharmacies.