“Our work with schools is a top priority.”
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Ottawa Public Health will operate seven community clinics seven days a week when young schoolchildren become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine — a development that’s expected later this year.
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Dr. Vera Etches, the city’s medical officer of health, told the Ottawa Board of Health on Monday that the vaccination of schoolchildren represents a key part of the city’s COVID-19 strategy because those aged five to 11 now comprise a significant source of new infections.
About half of the city’s recently reported COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in people 19 years of age and younger, she said.
“This is causing challenges with keeping children in school, and parents and guardians able to work,” she told the board. “So our work with schools is a top priority.”
The immunization of five- to 11-year-olds could begin within two weeks. Ottawa Public Health is already planning for the rollout of the vaccine among schoolchildren, Etches said, and will operate seven community clinics seven days a week, along with 10 community hubs in priority neighbourhoods, and 25 school pop-up clinics.
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More than 200 pharmacy locations will also offer immunizations.
Pfizer has submitted an application to Health Canada for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged five to 11. Etches said she expects a decision on that application within the next few weeks.
Vaccine supply, she said, will not be an issue: “We expect the supply will be robust from the beginning.”
All children who want the vaccine should be able to receive their first dose within one month of the rollout being launched in Ontario, Etches said. About 77,000 schoolchildren will be eligible for the vaccine in Ottawa.
Noting that 95 per cent of youth aged 12 to 18 have had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa, Etches said she’s “quite optimistic” there will be good uptake among younger schoolchildren when the vaccine becomes available. The public health agency hopes to vaccinate 90 per cent of the city’s young schoolchildren.
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“It is true that most children will not suffer severe outcomes from COVID-19 infections, but some will,” Etches warned, “and vaccination decreases the risk of severe outcomes.”
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Board of Health received an OPH draft budget Monday that calls for $123 million to be spent on public health programs next year, including $47.7 million for its ongoing response to the pandemic.
The board heard that three-quarters of the public health agency’s staff has been diverted to the COVID-19 response since the beginning of the pandemic.
The budget includes a $75 million base budget — that represents a $1 million increase — and $47.7 million in one-time COVID-19 funding that’s expected to come from the province.
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Etches said the budget assumes the public health agency will be responding to the pandemic “at least into the spring.”
In response to a question from Coun. Shawn Menard, Etches said she’s confident the province will continue to pay for OPH’s ongoing response to COVID-19.
“We’re spending more money on the COVID response and we’re relying on the province to reimburse that expenditure at 100 per cent,” Etches said, adding that she has received verbal commitments from the province that its COVID-19 support will continue into 2022.
The Ottawa Board of Health will consider details of the budget and hear from public delegations at a meeting later this month.
OPH says its priority is to vaccinate children; presents a $123 million draft budget - Ottawa Citizen
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