The 1st pediatric COVID-19 shots have been administered in Toronto

TORONTO – A small group of children between the ages of five and 11 in Toronto has become the first in that cohort to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in Ontario.

A spokeswoman for Toronto Mayor John Tory says the first shots went into little arms late in the afternoon at a city vaccine clinic after some pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech shots arrived early.

A group of 10 SickKids’ Hospital patients and their families were invited to participate.

Health Minister Christine Elliott, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Toronto’s medical officer of health were on site for the event.

The City of Toronto said a small number of clinics would vaccinate children on Wednesday.

“Thanks to the early arrival of COVID-19 vaccine for children, Toronto Public Health, the Ministry of Health, and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have worked together to provide ten vaccines today — ahead of a limited number of youth vaccination appointments on Wednesday and a large number of vaccinations on Thursday,” they said.

Families were able to start booking shots for kids across Ontario this morning.

More than 68,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments for kids aged five to 11, and those turning five this year, were booked by 10 a.m., a spokeswoman for Premier Doug Ford said in a social media post. That figure doesn’t include bookings through individual health units, pharmacies and primary care sites offering the shots.

Minister Elliott says that as of 5 p.m., over 87,500 youth COVID-19 vaccine appointments had been made through Ontario’s booking portal.

Great news! As of 5:00 p.m. today over 87,500 #COVID19 vaccination appointments for kids aged five to 11 have been booked using the provincial booking system.

If you haven't already booked an appointment, visit https://t.co/pxlgLpkLxR or call 1-833-943-3900.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) November 23, 2021

The online booking portal officially opened for appointments at 8 a.m., though some eager parents reported they could sign on slightly earlier.

Toronto mom Kate Southwell said she started checking online early and managed to get in by 7 a.m., with a shot booked for her five-year-old son for Thursday afternoon — the earliest date the province has said it expects to start administering the shots.

Southwell said the appointment is a relief for her family members, who have been sticking within their small bubble while waiting for pediatric vaccines, even as the adults were vaccinated against the virus.

“He’s really excited to hug his friends and teachers again,” she said of her son Scott, who is eager to get immunized despite some nervousness about needles.

“He’d really hoped that the kids’ vaccine would be a lollipop instead of the needle,” she said. “But we just got his flu shot several weeks ago and took a video of him right afterwards saying that it didn’t hurt at all, so we’ve just been playing that video for him over and over again.”

People can also book by phone, through local public health units using their booking systems and at some pharmacies and primary care providers.

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With files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter of The Canadian Press