Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Nov. 23, 2021. (Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Bookings Begin Nov. 24.

Pfizer pediatric vaccine rollout to begin in Alberta

Nov 23, 2021 | 4:59 PM

With more than 394,000 pediatric doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arriving in the province, Alberta will begin taking vaccine bookings for five to 11 year olds on Nov. 24.

Provincial officials say the doses are being distributed to 120 Alberta Health Services (AHS) vaccination clinics across the province and four pharmacies in communities where AHS clinics are not nearby.

Appointments will be required for all pediatric vaccinations and bookings will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Appointments for first doses will begin as early as Friday, Nov. 26. More details on locations where parents can book appointments will be available in the coming days, note provincial officials.

“The wait is nearly over for Alberta families with children between the ages of five and 11,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on Tuesday. “Now that there is a safe, effective vaccine approved for use for these youngsters, and with doses arriving in the province, we can start booking appointments. Within days, we will begin administering the first pediatric doses, helping to ensure even more Albertans are protected from COVID-19.”

“Provincial teams are quickly distributing the newly arrived Pfizer pediatric vaccine to more than 100 locations across Alberta,” added Jason Copping, Minister of Health. “Our immunization program continues to be one of the best in Canada and we are ready to safely and quickly make these doses available for young Albertans.”

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“The evidence is clear that the pediatric Pfizer vaccine is highly effective at limiting the spread of COVID-19,’ shared Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Parents who choose to have their young children vaccinated against this virus will not only help to protect their kids but their families and communities too.”

Booking a vaccination appointment for children aged five to 11

First-dose appointments must be booked through the Alberta Vaccine Booking System at alberta.ca/vaccine or by calling Health Link at 811. Walk-ins are not available at this time.

Children five to 11 years of age who live on a First Nations reserve will also be able to access doses through nursing stations or public health clinics on-reserve.

The recommended interval between the first and second doses for children aged five to 11 is at least eight weeks. It is also recommended that children should wait at least 14 days between receiving the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine and another type of vaccine.

Restrictions Exemption Program

Children under 12 years of age will continue to have access to businesses and venues participating in the Restrictions Exemption Program, regardless of their vaccination status. This will provide parents and guardians the time to decide if and when their young children will be protected against COVID-19.

Children aged 12 and under are able to access facilities with their parents or guardians who meet the program requirements, as well as participate in youth activities while following current public health measures.

Quick facts

• Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine approved for use in children aged five to 11 in Canada.
• Health Canada approved the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five to 11 on Nov. 19. It has also been approved for use in the U.S.
• More than 391,000 Albertans aged five to 11 are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
• To date in Alberta:
  • For children aged five to 11, there have been about 30,700 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed since March of 2020, with 78 of those cases ending up in hospital and 20 in intensive care.

“I want to share our sympathies with the 10 families and all of those who are grieving the loss of a loved one today who died of COVID. Our thoughts are also with the family of the toddler who passed away where COVID was a contributing cause. No parent should ever have to say goodbye to their child,” said Sarah Hoffman, NDP Critic for Education.

“Earlier today we saw the UCP’s rollout of COVID vaccines for children aged five to 11. But apart from making these shots available, it’s remarkable how little effort the UCP is making to encourage uptake.

“There are far fewer locations than for the adult population and it’s by appointment only. In fact, the UCP is making all the same mistakes they made in the rollout of vaccines for adults and then some.

“I didn’t hear anything about an information campaign or an outreach campaign. The most glaring failure of all is that there will not be vaccine clinics in schools.

“There are active alerts/outbreaks in 133 schools and two of these have had 10 or more infectious cases in 14 days.

“This is not acceptable. While some families will be able to take their kids to an AHS clinic easily, others will not. Single parents, families with challenging work schedules and families with multiple children will have to take time away from work or find childcare for siblings in order to get their younger kids vaccinated.

“It’s obvious that putting vaccine clinics in schools will remove significant barriers for families. The UCP is leaving these barriers in place. Parents already have a lot on their plates. Government should be doing everything they can to make lives easier and reduce stress for families.

“We have known that federal approvals were on the way for months. If the UCP wanted to help families get ready for the rollout they should have held a telephone town hall and information sessions over the last two months and they should have had clinics opening in schools this week.

“But once again, no information campaign, no outreach campaign. Both of these eventually had to be done for adults, months late.

“And speaking of months late, I note that the UCP is now on its third version of a vaccine passport.

“This is a vital public health measure that the UCP failed to use even while health leaders, business leaders, municipal leaders and the Opposition were all calling for it.

“The UCP even fundraised on their fight against vaccine passports.

“So, I’m pleased Albertans will finally have a vaccine passport that can be used internationally.

“It’s another failure of leadership that we are the last province to do so.”