The COVID-19 vaccine could be available to children as young as five in November, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Tuesday (Oct. 12).
The announcement comes a few days after the provincial Get Vaccinated system opened for five to 11 year olds.
Pfizer has said it plans to ask Health Canada to authorize its vaccine for younger children as soon as mid-October.
On Tuesday, Henry said preliminary data from the company has now been submitted and that parents should register their children online. About 340,000 could become eligible to be vaccinated this fall.
“We may have that important vaccine available to us as early as early November,” she said, adding that planning is ongoing with schools and public health.
Henry said that children won’t be able to get the Pfizer vaccine at the doctor’s office yet, but that physicians will have a role to play in the rollout. Both pharmacies and community health clinics will be utilized, she added, and the program is likely to roll out to all children in that age group simultaneously.
Children as young as five will also see another change; as of Tuesday, they are included in the mask mandate.
READ MORE: Pfizer to seek vaccine approval for Canadians as young as five in about a week
