WATERLOO -- The University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy is working to provide more information on the under-review COVID-19 vaccine for kids and is asking for feedback from parents and guardians.
“A lot of parents and guardians are going to have a lot of different kinds of questions,” said Dr. Kelly Grindrod, an associate professor with the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. “We know that from the past vaccines people put out a lot of information sheets, and we get a lot of experts weighing in on them, but we don’t always get feedback from the people who actually have to make the decision.”
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine for those aged 5 to 11 years old in the United States. Dr. Grindrod said many parents are already looking for answers.
“Is it the same? Is it the same dose? Is it a different dose? Are the side effects the same for kids? Are they less for kids? Are they worse for kids? So, we do know, for example, it is a lower dose, and the side effects do appear to be lower with kids,” said Dr. Grindrod.
Canadian researchers are monitoring how guidance groups will handle the vaccine closely. Dr. Grindrod expects a vaccine to be approved for Canadian children soon.
“It could happen anywhere from like the next two weeks, to the end of the month. We’re really planning and expecting probably for the end of November,” said Dr. Grindrod.
According to Region of Waterloo Public Health, once a vaccine is approved for kids in Canada and the Province of Ontario gives it the green light, the Region will re-open the online appointment booking system to eligible children.
“An appointment based approach will make it easier for Waterloo Region to prioritize administering first and second doses for children, while administering third dose booster vaccines that have been approved in Ontario for eligible individuals,” said Vickie Murray, the lead of operations with the region's vaccine distribution task force, in a meeting on Friday.
Anyone who wants to provide feedback can find the survey on the University of Waterloo website.
The School of Pharmacy hopes to have information ready to be shared to parents by the end of next week.
Dr. Grindrod said the School of Pharmacy has not received funding from any pharmaceutical companies for this research. It accessed funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, which has a vaccine confidence initiative.
