Saskatchewan parents express mixed feelings over COVID vaccine for kids

Children in Saskatchewan could soon be rolling up their sleeves in order to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Health Canada is saying the Moderna vaccine can be given to children between the ages of six months and five years old in doses one-quarter the size of what is approved for adults.

Some parents 980 CJME spoke with Thursday morning had mixed reactions.

“I am a little nervous about it,” one woman said. “But if you want your kid to get it, get it. If not, that is fine too.”

Some others described the announcement as a huge sigh of relief.

“I got a little bit emotional because I have been waiting a long time for this,” one woman claimed. “I have been really excited for this. Our 13-year-old got (the vaccine) already.

“We are so excited that our little ones can get it. Anything to protect them.”

There’s no distribution plan yet in Saskatchewan, but the provincial government says it’s placing an order and is expecting to get shipments of these kids’ vaccines next week.

“We will announce the plans to deliver these vaccines throughout the province before they arrive, to permit families to plan to have their children vaccinated as soon as possible,” the government said in a statement.

“It is anticipated that initial Moderna vaccine supplies for this age group may be limited, so these plans may include a staged approach to delivery.”

It’s also expecting guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on intervals for shots for kids who are a high risk or are immunocompromised.

NACI says serious illness among children infected by COVID is rare, but the noted the number of children hospitalized for the virus shot up dramatically as the Omicron variant spread rapidly last winter.

The average monthly rate of young children hospitalized because of COVID-19 increased from 1.4 per 100,000 children under five in the first two years of the pandemic to 15.9 per 100,000 in the first three months of 2022.

One man said the announcement Thursday made him feel like his child would be able to live a more normal life.

“As long as it was tested, I know we would be OK with it,” he said. “I can see my daughter getting it soon.”

— With files from The Canadian Press