First batch of COVID-19 vaccines for Canadian kids arrive at Hamilton airport

The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines for children has arrived in Canada.

A UPS aircraft carrying thousands of pediatric doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine landed at Hamilton International Airport around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday.

Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi was at the airport when the plane touched down and said that 2.9 million doses were expected by the end of this week. Tassi said that would be enough to provide a first dose for every child in the newly approved age range.

Today we reached another milestone in our fight against #COVID19 – the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 have arrived in Canada!

By next Friday, the initial 2.9M doses will be here – enough for a first dose for every eligible child. pic.twitter.com/N6OglGBivS

— Filomena Tassi (@FilomenaTassi) November 21, 2021

Health Canada approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages five to 11 in Canada on Friday.

It said the clinical trial showed that the immune response in children five to 11 years of age was comparable to the immune response in people 16 to 25 years of age. The vaccine was 90.7 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19 in children five to 11 years of age and no serious side effects were identified.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has suggested that two doses may be offered to children in that age group, with at least eight weeks between doses.

The Ontario government has said the provincial booking system should be ready by early this week for parents to make appointments for their children.

The federal government will now work to get the pediatric doses sent to the province and territories.