Vaccination update from the Kids Come First Health Team

The information below is from May 10, 2021. For the latest updates on COVID-19 vaccination for children, youth and caregivers — including the new online self-identification questionnaire — please view our statement from May 20.

Ottawa, ON – May 10, 2021 – CHEO, Roger Neilson House and community physicians and partners – all member of the Kids Come First Health Team –  continue to support the rollout of vaccines for children and youth and two of their caregivers in our region.

As a reminder, the provincial government tells us who to vaccinate and when, based on strict criteria that is mandatory across Ontario.

To meet the needs of our most vulnerable patients and families, CHEO sought and received approval from the Ontario government to set up vaccination clinics for children and youth who meet provincial criteria. CHEO continues to receive small quantities of COVID-19 vaccines from the provincial government to be administered at the vaccination clinic for youth with medical complexities and two of their caregivers.

• The CHEO vaccine committee is now contacting families of children and youth in the province’s high risk category to gauge interest and pre-register for the vaccine. Contacting families will take a few weeks and will likely continue to the end of May 2021.
• Health Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for ages 12-15, so children and youth this age who meet the vaccination criteria no longer require a risk-benefit discussion with their care provider.
• We continue to offer vaccination for children and youth in the province’s highest risk category who were born in 2009 and before and two of their caregivers.
• We continue to offer vaccination for two caregivers of the highest risk population whose children are too young (12 and under, born in 2010 or later) to receive the vaccine themselves.
• Patients and caregivers in the province’s highest risk category who have not yet received their vaccine remain on the list and their eligibility does not expire, though they should have been contacted at this point.
• As of May 10, 2021, the province has expanded eligibility for those with “at risk” health conditions who are 18 years of age and older.  These individuals are able to book their vaccine on the provincial site.
• The vaccine committee is working on the appointment booking process for the administration of second doses.

We will call you

CHEO uses a phased approach, based on guidance from the provincial government:

• The CHEO vaccine committee is using information in Epic to identify, and then confirm with clinical teams, which patients are eligible, based on criteria from the provincial government.
• We will be contacting eligible families by email or by phone to gauge interest and pre-register for the vaccine.
• CHEO will then contact interested families to set up an appointment.
• The number of families we can offer appointments is based on vaccine availability and therefore is occurring in a phased approach.
• If after reviewing the provincial criteria, you feel your family was eligible for this age group and you did not receive a call, please contact us at 613-737-7600 x6720 or your care team at CHEO to discuss your eligibility.

We expect more and more vaccines to arrive in Ottawa in the coming weeks, during which time we also expect the provincial government to broaden its vaccination criteria. The Kids Come First Health Team continues to advocate for the families of children and youth considered most vulnerable to COVID-19 and is working on a longer-term pediatric vaccine strategy with our community partners.

As the province updates its criteria, we will update this page and keep families informed of what group we are currently vaccinating.