COVID-19 vaccine bookings for Alberta children start Wednesday

EDMONTON -

Alberta parents can book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for their children starting Wednesday morning, Premier Jason Kenney announced.

First-dose appointments will go live online at 8 a.m. after Pfizer's shipment of more than 394,000 doses arrived in Alberta on Tuesday.

Parents and guardians can book the appointments here.

The doses will be administered at more than 120 Alberta Health Services vaccination clinics and four pharmacies across the province.

More than 390,000 Albertans aged five to 11 can get vaccinated as early as Friday.

"With each dose administered, we get one step closer to minimizing the threat of this virus and forging our path out of the pandemic," Kenney said.

"Immunization will help these youngsters back to being kids and spend time around others with reduced risk of catching or spreading COVID-19 to someone that they love," Health Minister Jason Copping said.

Second doses will be administered more than eight weeks after the first dose, the province said.

Approximately 43,000 children have been registered for the COVID-19 vaccine.

"There will be enough doses for every parent who wants one for their child," Copping said. "There will be a rush initially, so it may take a little longer as with every stage of the vaccine rollout. We think up to half the parents may look to book right away and AHS should be able to accommodate that many kids within about the next two weeks."

Children under the age of 12 will still be able to go into businesses participating in Alberta's Restriction Exemption Program, even if they are not vaccinated.

COVID-19 DATA ON TUESDAY

A child under the age of two was one of 10 deaths linked to COVID-19 reported to the province in the last 24 hours, Dr. Hinshaw said.

"While I will note that this child had complex pre-existing medical conditions that played a significant role, this does not diminish the tragic loss of one so young," Hinshaw added.

Alberta now has 5,001 active COVID-19 cases after it reported 253 new infections on Tuesday.

There are 475 people in hospital, 94 of whom are in intensive care.

Out of Albertans aged 12 and older, 88.4 per cent have received one vaccine dose and 83.3 per cent have multiple doses.