New Brunswick children aged five to 11 will begin receiving their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said pediatric doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine began arriving in the province on Tuesday.
Shephard said parents can now book an appointment online for their children at a clinic organized by the province’s regional health authorities.
“Very soon, pediatric vaccines will also be available through participating pharmacies and potentially through some physicians,” Shephard said during a news conference Tuesday.
About 54,500 children will be eligible to receive the vaccine, according to the province.
The 5-11 age group will be added to the province’s vaccination figures next Monday, which means the overall vaccination rates will drop as more people will be eligible.
As of Monday, 87.5 per cent of New Brunswick aged 12 and over were fully vaccinated while 93.4 per cent had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Shephard said the province has seen increased cases of COVID-19 among children in recent months. About 30 per cent of cases reported since the beginning of September were in youth under the age of 20, she said.
She said it was “premature” to say whether the vaccine will become mandatory for kids to attend school or eat in restaurants, among other things.
“We’re not there yet,” said Shephard. “Just as we did with the vaccine rollout for adults 12 and over, we need to see how this goes and discuss our options at a later date.”
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said children will need two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in order to get full protection.
Russell said the doses will also be offered at least eight weeks apart, following recommendations set out by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
“While children are less likely to become severely ill from COVID-19, it can happen. They can also suffer from longer-term complications,” she said.
Shephard said it is too soon to know exactly how long the rollout will take as they have to see what the uptake is.
