No images? Click here MEMO: Advance Preparation for COVID-19 Vaccination in Children Under 5 YearsTO: Health Care Professionals Who Administer Vaccines FROM: Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) program, Niagara Region Public Health REFERENCE: Vaccine Eligibility Extensions, Catch–Up Vaccination and Concurrent Administration Update DATE: July 19, 2022 Ontario is in the seventh wave of COVID-19 and infections are expected to increase. According to Public Health Ontario, COVID-19 infections in children aged 0 to 4 years increased by 40% the week of June 26 to July 2. There have been 865 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations in children 4 years of age and younger in the last 52 weeks. Health Canada has now authorized Moderna (Spikevax) vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years of age, and we expect to have some limited vaccine available by the end of the month. As is the case for other age groups, the Moderna vaccine for this age group will be a two dose vaccine. In Niagara, there are approximately 21,830 children aged 0 to 4 years; it is anticipated about 6,000 to 7,000 children will come forward initially to get vaccinated. At this time, the Ministry of Health has not indicated if pharmacies will be able to give children under 2 years of age COVID-19 vaccinations. Implications for your practice More than any other age group, it is imperative for primary care providers and pediatricians to take the lead in vaccinating children 6 months to 5 years of age.
Administering COVID-19 vaccine To administer vaccine in your office, become a COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Site. We’ve heard from some practices the challenges that have prevented offering vaccine in the office. Specifically that the large vial sizes doesn’t work well for workflow in clinic and there are concerns with wastage, storage is an issue as these vaccines aren’t super stable and that some of the data administration is perceived a challenge. These are common concerns across all health unit areas in the province and feedback has been shared with the Ministry. In response to some concerns voiced, in particular it’s important you know that:
We recognize that for some, there may be questions about managing COVID-19 vaccine in practice; we have addressed many of these in our new frequently asked questions at become a COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Site. Health Care Provider Action
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