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Cases will rise when school returns, vaccine expected for kids under 11 this winter says Ontario’s Top Doctor

In an exclusive interview with Vista Radio, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says with the rate of new COVID-19 cases doubling every 20 days it is likely we could see 2,400 new cases a day by the end of September and cases could rise in school-aged children.

“We will see cases in school, we will see a rise in cases overall and an increase in hospitalizations.  But we’re trying to mitigate that effect through all of these methods we have put in play in the school setting. I think they’ve been enhanced significantly over the summer and if, we have to make modifications at a local level because of increased community transmission we absolutely can make stricter recommendations at the school level,” Dr. Moore says.

Dr.  Moore says a vaccine will be available to kids under 11 sometime this winter, “We should have vaccines available for 11 and under in early winter and certainly we already anticipating distribution models, working with pharmacists, primary care, and local public health agencies if and when they become available to us.”

Dr. Moore says they are expecting to hear from Health Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization sometime this winter, but they are still waiting on the studies that have been done and Health Canada’s review before the green light will be given to vaccinating children 11 and under.

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In the meantime, Dr.  Moore says we need to protect school-age children, “We all have to cocoon around our young folk, maximize the immunization rate. I’m very much looking forward to school opening as I’m sure most children are and I’m confident in the strategies our schools have put in place to protect them.”

He continued to say, “My hope is really that we keep our schools open and we allow children to come back to that environment which they’ve missed for so long and many of the policies we’ve put in place will protect them as best we can against the formidable foe.  But the good thing is for the most part children’s hospitalization and risk of getting admitted to hospital is lower than adults.”

Students go back to school on September 7th.

 

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