COVID-19 vaccine bookings open Tuesday for kids aged five to 11

Ontarians can start booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for kids aged five to 11 Tuesday morning.

The provincial booking portal will open for those appointments at 8 a.m.

The province says bookings can be made through Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination portal and contact centre, directly through public health units using their own booking system, participating pharmacies which individuals can find on Ontario’s website using the pharmacy locator, and select primary care providers.

Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children in the five to 11 age group last Friday.

The paediatric vaccine is a lower dose than the amount given to individuals aged 12 and over. It will be administered in a two-dose series with eight weeks between first and second doses.

Ontario is expected to receive 1,076,000 doses of the paediatric Pfizer vaccine from the federal government, which will then be immediately distributed to public health units, pharmacies, and primary care settings across the province.

The province says it expects to start administering the first shots on Thursday.

Children turning five in the remainder of 2021 are also eligible to start booking shots on Tuesday.