News

COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments to Open for Children Aged 5 to 11

2021-11-22

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is pleased to announce that appointments offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 will be available on Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination portal as of 8:00 AM on Tuesday, November 23, 2021.

The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine that has been authorized by Health Canada for use in children aged 5 to 11. To be eligible for the vaccine, children who live or study in Ontario must either be 5 years old or turning 5 in 2021 (born in 2016 or earlier).

Assistance with Booking

Parents and guardians of children who are eligible can book an appointment through covid19.ontariohealth.ca or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1 833 943-3900. COVID-19 vaccines for children will also be available at participating pharmacies and healthcare providers’ offices.

For children who have barriers preventing them from physically going to a vaccination clinic, parents/guardians can call the EOHU at 1 800 267-7120 to discuss alternate arrangements.

COVID-19 Vaccine is Safe and an Important Tool to Get Back to Routine

In addition to protecting children from COVID-19, the vaccine is the best tool to ensure that kids get to be kids again. “Now that Health Canada has approved the vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, I wholeheartedly encourage all parents to get their children vaccinated,” says Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health at the EOHU. “The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and will greatly reduce the number of outbreaks in schools and allow children to resume their extracurricular activities as well. A growing number of sports leagues are making vaccines mandatory for all participants.”

For the latest updates about COVID-19 vaccines, including which population groups are eligible to receive it and how to access it, please visit the EOHU’s website at www.EOHU.ca/vaccines.