A young patient receives the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 in Vienna, Austria on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Lisa Leutner)
WINNIPEG — Children aged five to 11 in Manitoba can now receive a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The additional dose comes after recent recommendations by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization for children in that specific age range. For many children, a booster will be their third dose of the vaccine.
The province says there should be a minimum six-month interval between the child’s last dose and the booster dose. It’s also recommended that children who are eligible to get a booster dose but were recently infected with COVID-19 should wait three months afterwards to get a booster dose.
Appointments are available at regional vaccine sites, public health offices, pharmacies, and medical clinics. Appointments can be booked by calling 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC).
Vaccine supersite closing in downtown Winnipeg
The province says the vaccine clinic at the RBC Convention Centre will close in mid-September. The site was one of the first and longest-running vaccination locations in the province shortly after the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved in Canada in the midst of the pandemic.
While the largest vaccine supersite in Manitoba is closing, the province will reopen the regional vaccine clinic at 1680 Notre Dame Avenue in Winnipeg, with the first appointments available in mid-September. The capacity of each facility is similar, as they can provide 1,700 immunizations per day if needed.
Feedback wanted on new vaccine
Manitoba Health is seeking feedback from Manitobans on a new vaccine that may be approved by Health Canada in the coming weeks. The new vaccine, called a bivalent vaccine, has been developed to provide protection against the original strain of COVID-19 as well as an Omicron variant.
An online survey asks the public what factors might influence their decision to get the new vaccine, as well as their preferred locations to be immunized. The survey will be open until Friday, September 9.
