Hamilton Public Health ready to vaccinate 5 to 11-year-olds

HAMILTON, ON – Earlier today, Health Canada authorized the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old. Hamilton Public Health Services is prepared to vaccinate the 42,000 local children eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once delivered by the Provincial government.  Information regarding booking and vaccine clinic locations will become available following announcements and direction from the provincial government.

The ongoing Last Mile Strategy to ensure access to vaccine in all parts of the City is taking place in parallel with the scaling up of Hamilton's vaccine program. This was supported by the opening of the Centre on Barton COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic this week and the Hamilton Mountain COVID-19 Vaccine clinic at Lime Ridge Mall earlier this month.  As well, ongoing child-friendly mobile clinics and school-based clinics will continue to be rolled out on a weekly basis.

Family-friendly clinics
Hamilton’s vaccine strategy for young people is comprehensive to ensure all children 5 to 11 years of age who want a vaccine, can do so in a location that can meet their needs. There will be many convenient ways children can receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Hamilton including fixed-site clinics, mobile pop-up vaccine clinics, pharmacy clinics, family and youth-friendly clinics, and community-based and led mobile vaccination clinics for specific populations.

Information and frequently asked questions regarding child COVID-19 vaccination can be found at www.hamilton.ca/childvaccine. Additional resources will be added as they become available.

Public Health Services recommends that everyone receive a vaccine when eligible to do so. We need to work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community, to reserve healthcare and hospital capacity and to protect vulnerable populations.

“I am very encouraged to see the approvals come through today for the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on children ages 5 to 11. The importance of expanding the COVID-19 vaccination program to include children is tremendous for families, the community and the healthcare sector. Increasing eligibility will continue to help improve control of the spread of COVID-19 in our community keeps families safe and healthy.” – Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Medical Officer of Health

Quick Facts

• The Hamilton healthcare partners continue to make progress in vaccinating eligible community members. To date, 878,583 doses of the COVD-19 vaccine have been administered – with 85.9 per cent of eligible Hamiltonians receiving a vaccine to date and 82.7 per cent fully vaccinated.
• Since January 2021, Hamilton healthcare partners have hosted over 710 mobile pop-up clinic days and over 380 on-site mobile clinics. This includes 62 secondary school COVID-19 vaccine clinics hosted at 22 locations since August 12, 2021.
• The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine that has been authorized by Health Canada for use in individuals aged 5 and over
• Vaccine administration rates may differ based on local context.
• All vaccination planning is based on and contingent on available COVID-19 vaccine supply.

Additional Resources

• www.hamilton.ca/COVIDvaccines
• www.hamilton.ca/GetYourVaccine
• www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus
• kidshealthfirst.ca
• Public Health Services’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline: 905-974-9848, option 7 or [email protected]
• Public Health Services’ COVID-19 Hotline: 905-974-9848 or [email protected]