COVID Vaccine Clinic for Ages 5 – 11, December 10

With the announcement on November 19 that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective in children aged 5-11, I’m pleased to announce we’ll be offering a COVID vaccine clinic for this age group in our office!

The clinic will be from 3-6pm Dec 10, 2021, and you will need to make an appointment. Plan on bringing whatever might help your child be comfortable (stuffy, iPad), and make sure they’re wearing a t-shirt so it’s easy to get to their upper arm.

We’ll be monitoring your child for 15 minutes after their vaccine, so plan on being here for a little bit.

The information will be entered into the provincial vaccination system afterward, and if you’d like to receive an emailed receipt of vaccine, please make sure we have an accurate email address for you when you come in.

There are links below to some useful resources, if you have any questions, or concerns. If you’d like to book a phone call to discuss – please give us a call!

If December 10 doesn’t work for you, keep an eye on the Kawartha, Haliburton, Pine Ridge and District Health Unit website for alternative clinics.

Hope to see you on December 10th!
 

Resources:

About Kids Health (from SickKids) – commonly asked questions, and information about the mRNA vaccines, relevant to the 5-11 age group

Needles Don’t Have to Hurt – some tips about how to prepare your child (and yourself!) for a vaccine

The CARD System – strategies you can use to help cope before and during vaccination for children

FAQs:

Will you be offering the COVID-19 booster for adults in the office, too? 

Sadly not at this time. Because the vial of COVID-19 vaccine have a very limited lifespan once they’re open, we can’t keep the office running efficiently if we’re also trying to ensure we use up all the doses in an open vial. There are many clinics around Northumberland where you can get your booster, though, or you can call the provincial booking line at 1-833-943-3900.

Should I vaccinate my child? How safe is it? What is the effectiveness? 

Have a look at the About Kids Health website from SickKids – there’s a lot of useful information there, and if you’re still uncertain, please give us a call and we can discuss further! The Coles Notes version – the data shows that the vaccine is as effective in kids as adults (so roughly 90%), and they get a smaller dose, which decreases the risk of the fever/sore arm/muscles aches/etc. that you might have had yourself.

Can we get the flu shot and the COVID shot at the same time?

Good question – in kids, the recommendation is to separate vaccines by at least two weeks. So if you’re planning on having your child come for a COVID vaccine on December 10, avoid other vaccines (including the flu shot) from Nov 26th onward, unless it’s urgent, of course.

Will there be limits on what my child can do if the’ye not vaccinated?

We can’t answer that one, unfortunately. Your child being vaccinated is likely their best way to return to as normal a life as possible, at the moment, though.

Will my child need a second dose?

Yes – it’s a two-dose schedule for kids, too. We’ll plan to run a booster clinic roughly 8 weeks after Dec 10th to give the second dose, as that’s the recommended interval.