(Quebec) The Quebec government has begun preparations to vaccinate children under 12 years of age. This age group will be vaccinated at school and vaccination clinics. Even if a vaccine for them has not yet been approved, the director of the vaccination campaign, Daniel Barry, is preparing for a green light in the fall.
Mr. Barry asked CISSS and CIUSSS leaders to submit a fall vaccination plan including “initiatives” to vaccinate children 11 years and under.
In correspondence that Journalism He was able to consult, Daniel Barry asserts that the county is “moving towards the end of mass vaccination,” but that it is necessary to “maintain the rapid reaction capacity” of the teams, among other things, to deploy “potential vaccination against 0-11 year olds.”
“It’s an open secret. We can’t wait to see when we can vaccinate our 0-11-year-olds. What I’ve asked of institutions is to keep the engines and teams mobilized regarding that,” he confirmed in an interview.
Daniel Barry explains that he wants the health network to be ready to act once vaccinations for children are allowed in Canada. “I want to mobilize my team so we can vaccinate in a week.”
It is not known when that moment will come, but the giant Pfizer hopes to present the results of its clinical studies to Health Canada “before the end of the year in order to support the possible authorization of the vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years,” the manufacturer said in an email:
In that sense, Mr. Barry says he expects to see more spread in two phases, which could start from 5 to 11 years.
“I’m preparing my squad for fall. If it’s fall, I’ll be ready, and if it’s January, I’ll be ready. I don’t want to do the opposite: plan too far, excuse me, but make me put the pants on the floor,” fired Daniel Barry.
Moderna Canada, which also conducts “KidCove” studies for children aged 6 months to 11 years, did not provide a timeline. Journalism.
Vaccination in schools
Mr Barry believes that children between the ages of 5 and 11 can be vaccinated at school. “We have experience with school vaccination for these age groups. It will definitely be a method that will be recommended.
The fact remains that he would prefer a hybrid form with pollination sites. “I think we’ll have to keep both ways because some parents are asking us to support their youngsters,” explains Mr. Barry.
According to the Department of Health and Social Services, there are just over 1 million children between the ages of 0 and 11, which is 12.7% of the population. More specifically, the 5-11 age group includes 655,101 people in Quebec.
By vaccinating three-quarters of children aged 0-11, Quebec could increase vaccination coverage for the entire population to nearly 85%. Currently, 6.4 million Quebecers have received at least one dose, or 75% of all Quebecers.
If Health Canada gives the go-ahead this fall, Daniel Barry will ensure there are no supply problems with about two million vaccines in reserve. But it is still not known what dose will be prescribed for children. “It might be different for adults,” he says.
Pfizer said its phase one study “made it possible to understand the optimal dose of the vaccine to give children 5 to 11 years old, 2 to 5 years old, and 6 months to 2 years old” without specifying it publicly.
Towards a decrease in the ability to immunize
Daniel Barry has also asked institutions to provide him with a strategy to “reduce mass vaccination sites” and ensure that an action plan is published to increase the vaccination of eligible school clients, such as at CEGEPs and universities.
In the fall, he wants to preserve access to the vaccine. “I want that as of October, I want us to maintain a capacity of 100,000 doses per week,” he explained. Currently, the capacity is 400,000 doses per week. The challenge is finding the balance between lowering the pace, being ready to respond, and keeping teams mobilized, says Mr. Barry.
With Pierre-Andre Normandin, Journalism
considered ds Richard Massey is stepping down
Horacio Arruda’s right arm, ds Richard Masse leaves office after suffering health problems. The former regional director of public health in Montreal came out of retirement at the start of the pandemic to become a strategic medical advisor to the Directorate General of Public Health. It’s his wife dRe Marie France Renaud, who replaces him. She is a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal and Chair of the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University Hospital Center of Montreal. considered ds Masse has participated in a few government press conferences about the pandemic. We remember that he felt that the Cabinet was used as a tool by Jean-Francois Roberge, who wanted to indicate that public health had validated tests on air quality in schools. “There, that’s enough! I do not agree to put words in our mouths. […] I disagree with writing that “the process appears to be compatible,” he wrote in an email obtained by Radio Canada in May.
Tommy Chouinard, Journalism
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