Ottawa Public Health working on COVID-19 vaccination plan for children 5 to 11

CTV National News: The push to vaccinate children The first COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12 could be in front of Health Canada's review team in a matter of days. Vanessa Lee reports.

OTTAWA — Ottawa Public Health says it is exploring options when it comes to vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19, should they become eligible.

Pfizer said last week that its COVID-19 vaccine works in children 5 to 11 and the company is seeking authorization to roll it out in the U.S.

Toronto Public Health announced Monday that it formed a "COVID-19 vaccination planning group" to get ready for an eventual rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children in Canada.

Ottawa Public Health says it is doing the same.

"OPH has engaged with Kids Come First, an important partner concerning children in Ottawa. Kids Come First includes over 60 organizations, family and youth partners, nearly 1,100 physicians, and thousands of individuals including children, youth and families," Ottawa Public Health said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"OPH has explored different scenarios, which are contingent on the timing of the vaccine approval and timelines for implementation are still to be finalized. Scenarios include options to increase staffing and clinic locations for OPH vaccine clinics while using the best strategies to reach and communicate with children and their families about their options to get vaccinated."

The health unit says there are approximately 77,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old in Ottawa.

To date, more than 764,000 residents of Ottawa 12 and older are now considered fully vaccinated, including nearly 55,000 children born between 2004 and 2009.

Pfizer said last week it plans to provide Health Canada with data showing its COVID-19 vaccine works for children in a bid to seek authorization "as early as possible."

So far, no COVID-19 vaccine is approved for children under 12 years of age in Canada.