Quebec predicts it will vaccinate kids 'before Christmas,' with groundwork already laid
No one knows when Canadian regulators will sign off on COVID-19 vaccines for children five to 11, but Quebec leaders are feeling optimistic it will be soon.
U.S. regulators approved use of the Pfizer vaccine for American kids on Friday.
In a press conference Tuesday, Quebec's director of pandemic management, Daniel Paré, said he expects to have vaccinations available to younger schoolchildren "before Christmas."
"As we know, schools end around the 21st of December," he said.
"So we want to make sure to be there in schools, and also offer vaccination in our major vaccination centres, as we did for the teenagers."
That pre-Christmas estimate includes the time necessary to put the gears of a vaccine campaign into motion: procuring and distributing the shots, and setting up sites or visiting nurses to give them.
The province is hard at work on the last part, Paré said. While waiting for news from Health Canada, health officials have been talking to school boards and service centres to be able to line up a quick turnaround: about a week.
"Basically, as soon as we receive confirmation from Santé Canada and and... accreditation from our [immunization committee]," he said, "plus or minus a week after that, we should be able to start the vaccination, if the vaccines are there."
Several schools are already setting things up, using old conference rooms and other spaces, he said, saying they're "almost ready to go."
As for when Health Canada's decision will come, experts there have given other reasons to hope for news soon.
Pfizer submitted its trial data for kids a little later to Canada than it did to the U.S.
But Health Canada's chief medical adviser, Dr. Supriya Sharma, told media on Friday that the agency sat in on the day of expert testimony provided to the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is in charge of U.S. drug approvals.
Health Canada does its own, independent deliberations, but will factor in the information from those testimonies, said Sharma.
While she said it's "going well," she added that "I can't see a decision before mid to the end of November.”
If and when approval arrives, Quebec and other provinces will not be able to use the Pfizer doses they already have on hand. There's a different formulation for children with a smaller amount of the vaccine, meaning they'll have to be shipped.
--With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.