Vaccines for children under 12 could come with the return to school
Windsor-Essex students will return to class in less than six weeks and efforts are going strong to get as many students vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Ontario’s top doctor confirmed Wednesday the province is already working on a plan to administer the vaccines to children, if and when they are approved for that age group.
“We know that the trials are finishing up, that they’ll have the results to decision-makers for in the US and Canada in the early fall, and that’s a potential licensure under the emergency use agreement for late fall, early winter,” says Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario chief medical officer of health.
Both Pfizer and Moderna started testing their COVID-19 vaccines in children aged six months to 11 years back in March, and Moderna announced Tuesday it plans to expand the size of those trials.
Patricia Gauthier from Moderna Canada says the good news is that the kids COVID-19 study will have sites in Canada, so there will be Canadian children included in this study.
The results from both studies are expected to be published at the end of the summer, or in the early fall.
Health Canada tells CTV News, “the Department is open to reviewing manufacturers’ submissions and will only issue a decision following a thorough scientific review of the vaccine’s safety and efficacy in this younger age group.”
Experts say vaccinating kids could also help achieve herd immunity more broadly since the Delta variant could require as much as 90 per cent of the population to be vaccinated to stop the spread.
Although kids under 12 will likely return to class in September without access to COVID-19 vaccines, that protection could come within just a few months of the start of school.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
developing Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.