Young children in Quebec eligible for COVID-19 vaccine
Young children in Quebec will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination next week, the province announced Thursday.
Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau said Quebecers between six months and four years old will be able to receive Moderna's Spikevax mRNA COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday.
Speaking at a COVID-19 press conference Thursday, he said there are 70,000 doses available for Quebec's youngest residents.
The vaccine was authorized by Health Canada last week.
Boileau was joined by Dr. Nicholas Brousseau, public health specialist at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) and secretary of the Quebec Immunization Committee.
Brousseau said parents should feel confident giving their young children the shot.
"The dose is lower, so it has a very good safety profile," he explained.
He urged parents to book their appointments as quickly as possible, underscoring the fact that infants and toddlers are more susceptible to COVID-19 complications than older kids -- although he acknowledged that these complications are relatively rare.
"I think that parents will naturally [make] the best decision to protect their children," he said.
"They will understand that the advantages are higher than the disadvantages."
The shots will be available through vaccination centres and CLSCs.
APPROACHING A 'PLATEAU' IN CASES: BOILEAU
As Quebec battles its seventh wave of the pandemic, fueled by the Omicron subvariant BA.5, Boileau said the rate is expected to reach a "plateau" in the future.
This doesn't mean that case numbers are lowering, he clarified, but they're predicted to stabilize soon -- although he couldn't specify exactly when.
"We know the next few days will confirm whether this plateau is going to happen," he said.
Boileau noted that while there are many people in hospital with COVID-19 -- 2,110 as of Thursday -- not everyone was admitted because of the virus itself.
On Thursday, the province reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths and 53 more hospitalizations.
There are currently 7,349 healthcare workers absent for reasons related to COVID-19.
NO RESTRICTIONS ANNOUNCED
There are no plans to reinstate COVID-19 public health measures, said Boileau.
Although the BA.5 variant is highly contagious and is dominating in Quebec and elsewhere in the world, its symptoms appear to be no more severe than previous iterations of Omicron.
"We live in a new world" when it comes to COVID-19 in which health measures are largely left up to the individual, he said.
However, he recommended all Quebecers remain vigilant when it comes to hand washing, social distancing, and, most importantly, vaccinations, including booster shots.
"If it's been five, six months since you were vaccinated, go get vaccinated. It's time," he said.
Although masks in public are no longer mandated, they are still encouraged in some cases because they are "a tool that's very useful," especially when it comes to seniors or those who are immunocompromised, he said.
The public was reminded on Thursday that the virus is contagious for up to 10 days after infection.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.