Southwestern Public Health begins administering children's vaccines
Some families in St. Thomas and Elgin County are breathing a sigh of relief as the first children’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic was set up in the region Wednesday.
“It felt kind of good and it didn’t really hurt,” said seven-year-old Andrew Bettin. He and his big brother, 10-year-old Owen, were among the first in line at a clinic at St. Thomas-Elgin Memorial Arena.
“It felt like a slight pinch but it already feels better,” said Owen.
Last week, Health Canada announced the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11. The doses are one third the size of those given to the other age groups.
“Huge relief,” exclaimed Andrew and Owen’s mom, Hillory Bettin, who said she’s been waiting anxiously to get her boys inocculated. “I feel like the walls have been closing in. You see cases every day in schools. They say one third of the cases are now kids, and I felt like it went from seniors being the most vulnerable to now kids being the most vulnerable. So it’s a huge relief, especially with the holidays coming up.”
Southwestern Public Health said it received 8,000 pediatric doses of the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday morning.
Public health officials said they had a plan ready to go. As of Wednesday afternoon, 3,000 children had been registered for the vaccine, according to Program Manager Laura Anguish.
“Do go onto our COVID-19 appointment booking system to book your appointment so that you can secure your spot to get your vaccine. We are also requiring parent or legal guardian consent for the childhood vaccine for five to 11-year-olds, so do ensure that a parent or legal guardian is attending with the child.”
Anguish said a clinic will be held at the Aylmer Police College on Thursday, and another at the arena on Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.