STAY INFORMED with the Daily CHAT News Today Newsletter.

Saskatchewan to start giving COVID-19 vaccine to children starting Wednesday

Nov 22, 2021 | 11:11 AM

REGINA – Saskatchewan says it expects to get its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine for children on Tuesday and will begin vaccinations Wednesday.

The province is to receive 112,000 doses of the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is nearly enough for the 115,000 children between the ages of five and 11 who are eligible.

The vaccine is to be offered through 221 clinics in 141 communities.

Clinics will also be set up in more than 100 schools.

Education Minister Dustin Duncan has said the province is also working on a plan to ensure anti-vaccination protesters don’t congregate at schools as they have done at hospitals.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says children under 12 account for the highest rate of new COVID-19 infections.

Alberta is already allowing parents and guardians to pre-register online for a vaccination for children aged five to 11, and it says administration of shots will start late this week provided the doses arrive as expected.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2021.

The Canadian Press