Health Minister Jason Copping. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

Alberta expecting arrival of COVID vaccines for children aged 5-11 next week

Nov 19, 2021 | 4:50 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Albertan families might be able to get younger children vaccinated against COVID-19 as early as the end of next week.

On Friday, Health Canada announced that they have approved a COVID vaccine from Pfizer BioNTech for youths between the ages of five and 11.

READ MORE: Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11

It utilizes much smaller doses than what is given to adults, and Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Supriya Sharma says clinical trials have proven them to be safe.

Approximately 2.9-million doses are expected to arrive in Canada shortly, enough for every child in the country in that age group to get their first dose.

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Alberta’s Health Minister Jason Copping says the province is expecting to receive its first shipments the week of November 22.

“I know many Alberta families are breathing a collective sigh of relief knowing that we are now able to offer their children protection from COVID-19. Our province has proven it is able to safely and quickly deliver significant volumes of doses, and this time will be no different. We are well-prepared to administer doses to children as soon as their parents and guardians are ready to book their appointments.”

More than 390,000 Albertans aged 5-11 are now eligible for immunization.

AHS reports that there have been 30,700 COVID cases among children in that age bracket since the onset of the pandemic with 78 of those ending up in hospital and 20 in ICU.

The province assures that children under 12 will still have access to facilities utilizing the Restrictions Exemption Program, regardless of their vaccination status.

Earlier this week, Alberta’s Education Minister assured that K-12 students would not be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend classes.

READ MORE: Province will not mandate COVID vaccines for K-12 students

Parents and guardians are now able to pre-book immunization appointments for youths here.