COVID-19 vaccines offered at B.C. clinics for children under 5

COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out at B.C. clinics for kids under the age of five starting Tuesday.

Vaccines for those aged six months to five years were announced last month and B.C. parents were urged to register their children for a shot. As of Tuesday, clinics across the province will start administering the vaccines to the young cohort.

"B.C. has the capacity and experience to deliver this COVID-19 vaccination campaign for this new age group," said Health Minister Adrian Dix in a statement last month.

"Since the start of the vaccination campaign in B.C., almost 12 million doses have been administered to eligible people."

The province estimates there are 208,000 infants and children who will be eligible. Parents of infants younger than six months can still register their child and receive an invitation to book an appointment once they're old enough.

The Moderna vaccine for that age group is a smaller dose and is a two-shot series given eight weeks apart.

"We know that these vaccines are safe and have helped the province weather the COVID-19 pandemic so far," said Dr. Martin Lavoie, acting provincial health officer in a news release.

"Although most children who are infected with this virus have no symptoms or mild symptoms, unfortunately we know that some can get very sick and these vaccines are key to keeping our communities healthy and safe."

Those who have had COVID-19 should wait eight weeks before getting a vaccine. 

QUICK AND PAINLESS

A steady stream of young families could be seen coming from and going to the kids' vaccine clinic in Port Moody Tuesday morning.

Juan Ortiz and his four-year-old daughter, Romina, say it was a quick and painless process.

“It was pretty simple and usually she gets really scared about it, but it was really quick and it didn't hurt at all. We waited for like 15 minutes after that, she's feeling great,” said Ortiz.

His daughter proudly showed off a kitten sticker she was given as a token of her bravery.

Laura Colistro also got her two sons vaccinated.

“The nurses were great. They just distract them very well,” said Colistro.

The Coquitlam mom said it was important to get her two-year-old son, Ethan, inoculated as soon as possible.

“He's going to preschool in the fall. So I think it's great for him to have that safety under his belt. And I'm going back to work at the hospital in the fall as well, so just to protect my family. And for them, hopefully, if they get sick, it's not as bad,” she told CTV News.

Ethan was all smiles despite getting the jab and was racing off to his next important appointment of the day, an afternoon at the playground.

AN ENDORSEMENT FROM B.C.’S TOP DOCTOR

B.C.’s top doctor says she’s relieved protection for young children is now available.

“Thankfully, most young people have mild illness, but that's not zero risk. We know that some people do get seriously ill. So this is an important opportunity to make sure that we get them the protection,” said Henry at a news conference in Victoria late Tuesday morning.

She says getting kids vaccinated in a timely manner is vital, as they head back to school and daycare in a few weeks.

Henry is confident that the vaccines are safe and is encouraging those with concerns to talk to their family doctors.

“Come on into the clinic and we have child-friendly and experienced immunizers who know how to make it a positive experience for your child,” she said.

Health Canada approved the vaccine nearly three weeks ago and several provinces began their rollout not long after.

“It takes sometimes a little bit longer for us to get the vaccine supply compared to Ontario, for example. So we wanted to make sure that we had it across the province and so everybody's starting today,” explained Henry.

Infectious disease expert and doctor Brian Conway says the rollout of this age category could have been stronger.

“We need to do a bit better,” said Conway.

He says the United States is using some more graphic advertising to remind people about the consequences of contracting COVID-19.

“Although I don't want to get us into scare tactics, I really want to get us over this COVID fatigue and understand what our responsibility is,” said Conway.

He’d like to see more clear messaging from public health.

“Our first line of defense is vaccines. I'm not hearing it loud enough. Let's all get vaccinated, including children down to age six months,” said Conway.