As B.C. health officials await a federal review of COVID-19 vaccines for five- to 11-year-olds, they are encouraging families to register their children for the shot through the provincial Get Vaccinated portal.
“Registering your child is a great step right now as we await approvals from Health Canada,” said a spokesperson from B.C. Ministry of Health in an email to CBC News on Saturday.
The Get Vaccinated portal went live in April and allowed different cohorts based on age to register to be vaccinated. Those who registered received notifications when it was their turn to book an appointment.
The province says the portal has allowed children aged five to 11, for whom there is currently no approved COVID-19 vaccine in Canada, to be registered for some time.
But as Canada moves closer to approving a vaccine for the age group, it’s important for families to be prepared for the jab.
‘When it’s your turn’
“Throughout the pandemic, B.C.’s approach to vaccination booking is that we provide notification to people when it’s their turn to book,” said a statement from the health spokesperson. “You are scheduled based on when it’s your turn, not when you register.”
To register online, you must provide a first and last name, date of birth, postal code, personal health number and an email address or a phone number that can receive text messages.
Registration can also be done over phone.
A week ago, earlier than expected, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech submitted preliminary data from their trial for a COVID-19 shot for kids to Health Canada.
(2/4) To expand the use of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine for use in younger children, the manufacturer must make a submission and provide evidence of safety and efficacy to Health Canada for review.
—@GovCanHealth
There is anticipation from families and children to get doses of the vaccine approved for five- to 11-year-olds, as infections among that cohort have risen this fall.
From Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 69.4 per cent of COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, the province said the indoor masking rule would be revised to include children aged five and older, in order to better align with new school masking rules now in place for kids in kindergarten to Grade 3.
