Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
In the coming weeks, millions of American children aged 5-11 will likely become part of an urgent vaccination program, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the days of the polio inoculations.
Officials have outlined a plan to roll out two doses of the Pfizer vaccine formulated for children in the coming weeks — provided that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves Pfizer’s safety and efficacy data.
“We need everyone onboard for the work ahead of us, because every parent should have the information and tools that they need to help keep their kids safe,” Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States, said in a White House press briefing. “And that's why we're eagerly [awaiting] the FDA review of the data on children's vaccines.”
Pfizer submitted their data to the FDA for approval in late September. The White House, anticipating its approval, announced their starting steps for the rollout on Wednesday.
“We will be ready to get shots in arms,” Jeff Zients, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, said of the rollout plans. “Kids have different needs than adults, and our operational planning is geared to meet those specific needs, including by offering vaccinations in settings that parents and kids are familiar with and trust."
Part of meeting these different needs means that children in the U.S. won’t be lining up for mass vaccination clinics at hospitals, community centres and stadiums like adults did.
The plan is for vaccines for those under 12 to be handed out at more than 25,000 pediatric offices, along with pharmacies and in schools.
The government also stated that they will be working with more than 100 children’s hospitals across the country to set up vaccination sites starting in November.
Children will receive two injections three weeks apart, using smaller syringes and a lower dosage, about a third of what was used to immunize those 16-25 years of age. This adjusted formulation has been tested by Pfizer, and found to be safe while still producing neutralizing antibodies. This data is now being reviewed by regulatory authorities in the U.S.
The vaccines will also be shipped in smaller packages containing about 100 doses each, which can be stored for up to 10 weeks at standard refrigeration temperatures and for six months at ultracold temperatures.
Many doctors in Canada, where the Pfizer pediatric shots are also under review, are anxious to start this next phase of vaccination. Pfizer submitted its data to Health Canada at the start of the month.
“I can't wait for my kids to get vaccinated,” Dr. Noah Ivers, Canada Research Chair in Implementation of Evidence-based Practice and a professor with the University of Toronto, told CTV News. “My kids can't wait either, because they're going to feel safer when they're going to school, they're going to feel safer when they're on the hockey rink.”
Some provinces like Alberta are already taking registrations from parents to inoculate children in the future, and some Canadian officials say planning is already underway, and will likely follow the U.S. template of vaccinations at schools and through pharmacies.
It may also come with an added emphasis on a more playful approach, similar to how Cuba is tackling vaccination for children, with costumes and puppets playing a role in making children feel more comfortable.
“I think the planning is also in place to make sure that when we're offering it to kids, we're doing it in a kid-friendly way,” Ivers said. "That means maybe having child-life specialists available, whether that's somebody doing magic tricks or showing videos, and that sort of thing.”
Young children are at lower risk of severe disease and hospitalization from COVID-19 than adults, according to health experts. But they also say that vaccinating the younger age groups will help boost herd immunity, and lower the chances of more waves of the pandemic.
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.