COVID-19 vaccination clinics for children at Peterborough County elementary schools will be held outside of school hours and parental consent will be required before a child can receive the vaccine.
On Friday (November 26), Peterborough Public Health announced five vaccination clinics for children aged five to 11 will take place in December at schools in Norwood, Apsley, Ennismore, Millbrook, and Lakefield.
“We are aware that false information is being spread regarding the timing of COVID-19 vaccine clinics in school,” says Donna Churipuy, the health unit’s incident commander for COVID-19 emergency response, in a media release. “We want to reassure the community that vaccines will not be administered during school hours and that there is a consent process required for the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Churipay encourages parents and guardians, before booking a vaccination appointment for their child, to review the Ontario Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine consent form, which applies to children and youth aged five to 17.
“Residents will be asked to verbally attest to the consent form at the vaccine appointment,” Churipay adds. “Reviewing the form before the appointment will assist with a quick and easy process for clients.”
Appointments can be booked through the provincial government’s COVID-19 vaccine booking system online at covid19.ontariohealth.ca or by calling 1-833-943-3900.
The locations, dates, and times of the upcoming school clinics for children aged five to 11 are:
- Norwood District High School (44 Elm St, Norwood) – Friday, December 3rd from 4 to 7 p.m.
- Apsley Public School (238 Burleigh St, Apsley) – Friday, December 10th from 4 to 7 p.m.
- St. Martin Catholic Elementary School (531 Ennis Rd, Ennismore) – Friday, December 17th from 4 to 7 p.m.
- Millbrook/South Cavan Public School (47 Tupper St, Millbrook) – Monday, December 20th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Lakefield District Public School (71 Bridge St, Lakefield) – Wednesday, December 29th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The clinics in Millbrook and Lakefield will be held at the schools while children are on holiday break.
“We want to ensure children feel comfortable in the clinic environment,” Churipuy says. “Our vaccine clinics will be designed for safety and comfort for the children. Hosting a clinic in a familiar setting like a school may help to reduce hesitancy a child has about receiving a needle.”
More school clinics will be announced as locations are confirmed. In addition to school clinics, COVID-19 vaccination clinics for children aged five to 11 are running in the evening at the Healthy Planet Arena (911 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough).
On November 19, Health Canada approved the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, a modified formulation which is one-third the dose of the vaccine available for those 12 and older. The recommended interval between the two doses for full vaccination is eight weeks.
According to Peterborough Public Health, more than 1,700 appointments have been booked to date by parents and caregivers for their children aged five to 11 to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
