MONTREAL --
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Quebec Premier Francois Legault said that his government will announce details of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for children under the age of 12 on Tuesday.
In a news conference in Montreal, Legault confirmed that Quebec's plan to vaccinate five to 11-year-olds will be unveiled alongside Minister of Health Christian Dube.
Canada is expected to receive 2.9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children, with the first batch already arriving in Halifax on Sunday. Health Canada says the children's vaccine has a smaller dose than the one for those 12 and up as healthy children have a strong immune system compared to youth and adults.
"In clinical trials, lower doses provided children with very good protection against COVID-19. It’s not clear yet how long protection will last," Health Canada says, adding that the second dose should be administered at least eight weeks after the first.
Dube said that he has a clear objective to have a first dose done for all children by Christmas, leaving about a month to vaccinate just under 700,000 children across the province.
He said a hybrid vaccination centre model will involve giving doses at schools as well as vaccination centres, and that parents can accompany their children.
Dube said the government has no intention of enforcing the vaccine passport rule for kids.
"That is not our objective. We'll focus on vaccinating children. (...) At this age we take for granted that they will be accompanied by their parents and we have to keep it simple," he said.
The goal of 80 per cent vaccination rate for children has been one Legault has suggested as a benchmark.
A survey from the Quebec Institute of Public Health (INSPQ), however, found that just over 60 per cent of parents with young children were in favour of vaccinating their children under 12, while 21 per cent said they were "totally in disagreement" with doing so.
