Prince Rupert children under 11 now eligible for COVID vaccine

Prince Rupert children, aged five to 11 years old, are included in the 360,000 across the province now eligible for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said in a joint statement, on Nov. 19.

“The rigorous review confirms that this first vaccine formulated for younger children is safe and effective,” the statement read.

The health experts explained children are at a lower risk of severe disease from COVID-19. However, it can still result in serious outcomes such as hospitalization and long-term symptoms.

“As well, as we have seen over the past 20 months, the pandemic has had a tremendous impact on children and families and has led to significant disruptions to important social activities and school,” they said.

“We encourage B.C. parents and guardians to register their children to get vaccinated at www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca – or by calling 1 833 838-2323 toll-free. Already, more than 75,000 children have been registered for their vaccine and are on the list to be contacted to book an appointment and get their COVID-19 pediatric vaccine.”

As of Nov. 19, the daily pandemic data from the CDC dashboard stated 498 active COVID-19 cases were in the Northern Health region, with 78 new cases confirmed in the prior 24 hour period. There are 42 patients hospitalized for treatment and an additional 17 in critical care.

Prince Rupert had ten new confirmed cases of the virus compared to Terrace leading the North Coast region with 63 new cases for epidemiology week of Nov. 7 to 13. Smithers had 33 new cases. Nisga’a and Kitimat both had eight, with Haida remaining at one new case for the same time period.