More than 20% of children in Waterloo Region’s newly eligible five to 11-year-old age group had been scheduled to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination by Thursday afternoon.
Vickie Murray, the head of the region’s vaccine task group, claims that 10,500 appointments had been obtained in just over two days since the option became available.
“I’m happy to report that approximately 20,000 additional appointments are still available for our region’s children before December 12,” she said.
It is estimated that there are around 48,000 kids in that age group in the region so there are still thousands of kids yet to be booked, although it is unclear whether Murray’s tally included appointments at pharmacies or family physicians.
Some of those open appointments are available for the ‘every dose counts’ weekend at the Cambridge Pinebush Clinic.
The region is hoping to vaccinate 6,000 kids over two days at its largest clinic.
“The Pine Ridge staff is working very hard to create a festive atmosphere at the clinic for that weekend,” Murray added. “We’re extending the hours and bringing in more staff to make getting vaccinated a pleasurable experience.”
She also says they’ve scheduled appointments for eight weeks from now, when the children will be ready for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccination.
“I’m hoping that a large number of people take advantage of these 20,000 open appointments as we work toward our goal of getting the vaccine to all of our children before the holidays,” she added.
Source_ globalnews.ca
