'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
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.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.