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Vaccines for Children 5-11

The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, will begin to offer the pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 starting Tuesday, November 23, 2021. The pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is a distinct formulation at a lower dose designed for the pediatric population and will further support a safer school environment by ensuring more children can benefit from the protection offered by the vaccine.
Children aged 5 to 11 across the province will be eligible for a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, directly through public health units that use their own booking systems, through pharmacies, Indigenous-led vaccination clinics or primary care providers, or by visiting walk-in vaccination clinics across the province. Children must be turning five years old by the end of 2021 (born in 2016) to book a first dose appointment and must be at least five years old on the date of their first dose appointment to be eligible to receive the vaccine.
All public health units will offer select clinics at or near schools to facilitate access and provide the best and safe environment to administer the vaccine to this age group. Consent forms will be distributed through schools and will be available online and in paper at clinics. Parents or substitute decision makers of children aged 5 to 11 may have to provide consent on behalf of the child before, or at the time of the appointment if the child is not capable of providing consent.

Booster Doses

On October 29, 2021 the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended the expansion of eligibility for COVID-19 booster doses. The province is offering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to certain populations where at least six months has passed since their 2nd dose.
As of November 3, 2021, all First Nation, Inuit and Métis adults and their non-Indigenous household members are eligible to receive a booster as well as the following populations:
  • Individuals aged 70 and over (born in 1951 or earlier);
  • Health Care Workers; and
  • Individuals who received a complete series of a viral vector vaccine (two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine)
The booster dose will help ensure continued protection based on a waning immune response to vaccines and increased risk of COVID-19 infection in these groups.
Eligible individuals can book/access a booster dose through:
  • The COVID-19 vaccination portal;
  • Public Health Units that use their own booking systems (locations and timing may vary);
  • Local Indigenous-led vaccination clinics;
  • Pharmacies and primary care settings; and
  • Walk-in clinics.
Public Health Units have been instructed to engage Indigenous partners and leaders on the planning of the rollout of booster doses as well as vaccines for children 5-11. Delivery models will be designed based on existing approaches that were developed in partnership with communities and reflect lessons learned from throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, address local priorities, geographic considerations, and reduce vaccine hesitancy.