The Public Health Agency said convincing all parents to immunize young children against COVID is “probably going to be quite difficult.” COVID caused only six deaths among more than 6 million unvaccinated children under age 15 in Canada.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, federal figures show few unvaccinated children were hospitalized with COVID from the pandemic outbreak on March 11, 2020, to July 27, 2021, the most recent available data. Of 6,041,733 children under age 15, 171,254 reported contracting COVID, or 2.8 percent.
Of that, only 780 hospitalizations occurred, or 0.01 percent.
On November 19, the Department of Health approved a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination for children as young as 5. The decision followed a month-long review, with the manufacturer submitting the vaccine for licensing on October 18.
“Once a vaccine has received its authorization, it is not considered to be experimental,” said Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical advisor at the Department of Health. Sharma recommended children receive two doses, eight weeks apart.
“The reason that it’s being spaced out is that you know, if you get a side effect in that period after the vaccination, it’s good to be able to know what vaccine it’s related to,” said Sharma. There was no evidence “that would cause us to think that there were safety issues or risks,” she said.
In a prior report, the Agency cited “significant disruptions” to daily life for the 99.9 percent of children never hospitalized with the virus.
Agency data showed that of parents surveyed across Canada, mainly mothers, 43 percent said they were “very” or “extremely” concerned about their children’s mental health. The rate was 61 percent for parents of children with disabilities.
A majority, 52 percent, said they were “extremely” worried about their children’s loneliness. The rate was 63 percent for parents of children with disabilities. Findings reflect StatsCan questionnaires with 32,000 parents of children 14 and younger.
“Young people for their mental and physical health, we need to get them back to education as safely as possible,” Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer, earlier told reporters. “We know children generally experience mild symptoms if they do become infected.”
Cabinet last August 26 budgeted $2 billion in funding for provincial and territorial departments of education to Covid-proof reopened classrooms under a Safe Return To Class Fund. The Public Health Agency had called it essential that schools reopen.
One leading epidemiologist in October 13 remarks to a federal union said he strongly opposed any mandatory immunization of young children. “Vaccine mandates are controversial,” said Dr. Raywat Deonandan of the University of Ottawa, the executive editor of the Interdisciplinary Journal Of Health Sciences.
“I have a small child,” said Deonandan. “I’m not happy about injecting him with strange things. I will if his mother agrees. But it does not fill me with comfort to do so. I get it.”
Compelling parents to vaccinate children under 12 “just creates far too much distrust in the population and doesn’t rub people the right way,” said Deonandan. He made his remarks in a videoconference with the executive of a federal union, the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers.
