COVID-19 Vaccination and Children 5 to 11 years old

Children born in 2016 or earlier across Ontario are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Learn how to get a vaccine

Appointments and drop-ins:  

To support children's access to the vaccine, most appointments available through Ottawa Public Health will be protected in the booking system for 5 to 11-year-olds. Due to limited drop-in capacity, we recommend that residents book an appointment on the Provincial booking system.  

Additionally, our recommendation is to book an appointment for each child or family member who is eligible for a vaccine. Anyone who does not have a scheduled appointment will be considered a drop-in. Drop-in capacity at the clinics will be limited and we cannot guarantee the timing or availability of drop-in appointments. If members of the same family have appointments at different times, on the same day or different days, they can all be vaccinated together at the time of the earliest appointment.

Who can receive first, second or third doses of the vaccine?

Prepare your child ahead of time

• Read stories about what happens when you visit the doctor.
• Offer an honest explanation about what to expect. Prepare older children the day before.
• Describe how vaccination will feel (for example, like a pinch).
• Tell your child what they can do to ease the pain (for example, sit still, breathe deeply, relax the arm).

Distract your child

• Draw your child's attention away from the needle. This is one of the best ways that you can help your child. 
• Distract your child with a favourite toy or blanket, a book, music, singing, or telling a joke or a story.
• Tell your child to take a deep breath and to blow it out slowly. Blowing bubbles or blowing on a pinwheel can help also. 

Position your child in an upright position

Hold your young child securely in a comforting hug, sitting upright on your lap, facing forward, or facing you (front to front), with the arm exposed.  Lying flat on their back during an injection, or being held too tightly, can be scary for children and can increase their fear. Older children can sit alone if they wish, with the arm exposed.

If your child continues to move, ask your healthcare provider about the proper hold technique that is safest for your child.

Following the vaccine

Your child may feel minor pain at the injection site or feel unwell 24 – 48 hours following their vaccine. You can give Acetaminophen to help with pain. For any unexpected side effects please contact their family care provider, consult your post vaccine care handout and the After your COVID-19 vaccine (Ministry of Health) handout.  

• What you need to know about your COVID-19 vaccine appointment (Ministry of Health)
• After your COVID-19 vaccine (Ministry of Health)
• Read our frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination

• If you require additional disability-related accommodations, please fill out this COVID-19 Vaccine accessibility assessment form at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment. With less than 48 hours, Ottawa Public Health will strive to meet all accommodation needs, however, may not be able meet all requirements. Should you need assistance in completing the accommodation request form, please contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-691-5505.

• There are several transportation services available to assist in getting to and from your appointment: Transportation to COVID-19 vaccination clinics and Para Transpo

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread and reduce the impact of infectious diseases, whether it is the seasonal flu (influenza) or childhood infections such as chickenpox (varicella). Safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 are now available to protect us against COVID-19. While many people infected with COVID-19 experience only mild illness, others may get a severe illness or even die. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you are not at increased risk of severe complications. COVID-19 vaccination helps protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience the illness of COVID-19.

Alex Munter, president and CEO of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario is joined CHEO Dr. Anne Pham-Huy and Ottawa Public Health's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Vera Etches as well as public health nurse Katie Souliere to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination of kids aged 5-11.

Children account for about 13% of the total confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Ontario and make up about 19% of Ontario’s population. The most common way children become infected is through close contact with a confirmed case.

COVID-19 affects children differently than adults. There is a lower percentage of COVID related hospitalizations, ICU admissions, deaths, and severe complications/outcomes with children.

The impact of COVID-19 infection may be lesser, but the mental impact on children has shown to be very significant. COVID-19 has resulted in loss of in-person school and reduced social interactions with peers meaning increased stress and negative mental health for children.  

Vaccination is a means to ensuring children can continue their routines of daily life and not miss out on important things. 

If someone is fully vaccinated and develops symptoms of COVID-19, they are still required to self-isolate and seek testing.

Note: Fully vaccinated means that it has been at least 14 days since you received:​

• the full series of a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by Health Canada (e.g., 2 doses of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca/COVIDSHIELD, OR 1 dose of Janssen [Johnson & Johnson]) or any combination of such vaccines, OR​
• one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine not authorized by Health Canada (e.g., Sinopharm) followed by one dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine authorized by Health Canada (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) OR​
• three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine not authorized by Health Canada (e.g., Abdala).​

Vaccine efficacy is a representation of how well a vaccine will work at preventing illness caused by a particular virus.   

Clinical trials showed that beginning 1 week after the second dose, the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty® COVID vaccine was about 90.7% effective for those 5 to 11 years old. 

Please view Ottawa Public Health’s Vaccine Effectiveness FAQs and the Health Canada website for more information.

Community immunity is reached when enough people have protection against a disease, which makes it unlikely that a virus or bacteria can spread and cause more infections. This protection can be either from a previous infection or vaccination. As a result,  the whole population within the community is protected. But those who are not protected because they have never had the disease, did not get vaccinated or the vaccine was not as effective for them can still get sick. This is why it is not a good idea to rely on community immunity to protect yourself instead of getting vaccinated.

The percentage of people who need to have protection to reach community immunity varies by disease. 

Some estimates for COVID-19 suggest it may be near 60 to 70%. However, community immunity calculations may not be reliable in the context of COVID-19 because of many unknowns. The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing asymptomatic infection remains unknown right now. For this reason, community immunity calculations will only give an estimated target for vaccination programs.

Until the effects of the COVID-19 vaccines have been fully studied, it is best to not assume that vaccinations will protect others. We must continue to protect ourselves and others by:

• wearing a mask
• practicing physical distancing
• practicing hand hygiene
• staying home and getting tested when sick

These measures will help to continue to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit: OttawaPublicHealth.ca/COVID19Vaccine

Be social wise while we build community immunity

On Friday, November 19, 2021, Health Canada authorized the use of the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11. Health Canada has one of the most rigorous scientific review systems in the world and only approves a vaccine if it is safe, works, and meets the highest manufacturing and quality standards.

Vaccines undergo a comprehensive review of their safety, quality and efficacy (how well they work) before they are approved and can be used in Canada. After approval, vaccines are continually monitored through a “vaccine safety surveillance” to ensure their safety.

Ottawa Public Health is involved in this surveillance process by investigating all reports of an Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) and reporting them to Public Health Ontario.

An AEFI is a serious or unexpected reaction that happens after someone receives a vaccine, which may or may not be caused by the vaccine. In Ontario, health professionals like nurses and doctors are required to report AEFIs to their local public health unit like Ottawa Public Health. For more information on this process you can visit Public Health Ontario’s website.

Health Canada evaluates drugs and vaccines before they can be sold in Canada. They also monitor real-world evidence while they are on the market.

When a company decides it would like to sell a drug or vaccine in Canada, it files a submission with Health Canada. A new drug submission contains detailed scientific information about the drug's safety, efficacy and quality.

Health Canada scientific reviewers evaluate data to assess the potential benefits and risks of a drug or vaccine. They also review the information that will be provided to health care practitioners and consumers about the product. After the review, they may authorize the drug or vaccine for sale in Canada only if the benefits of the product outweigh the potential risks.

Learn more about the drug and vaccine authorizations for COVID-19 on Health Canada's website.

At this time, based on recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), Ottawa Public Health will not be providing co-administration of the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, with other vaccines. This means that when your child receives their COVID-19 vaccine, they will not be given other vaccines at the same time.

NACI recommends that children receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (10 mcg) at least 14 days before or after another vaccine. This is a precaution to help to determine if a side effect that may arise is due to the COVID-19 vaccine or another vaccine. There may be circumstances when a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and another vaccine need to be given at the same time. A healthcare provider can help with this decision.

There are no specific safety concerns when routine vaccines are given at the same time or within days of each other. There could be stronger, temporary side effects when a COVID-19 vaccine and another vaccine are given at the same time or within days of each other. Ottawa Public Health recommends that children receiving their COVID-19 vaccine follow the NACI guidance and :

• Not receive a COVID-19 vaccine within 14 days of a non-COVID-19 vaccine
• Not receive a non-COVID-19 vaccine within 14 days of a COVID-19 vaccine

Yes. According to the NACI Statement Summary- November 19, 2021:, children with a previous COVID-19 infection may be offered two doses of the vaccine once symptoms of acute illness have resolved and the child is no longer considered infectious, based on current criteria. They should wait until they have recovered, and public health has told them they no longer need to self-isolate, before getting vaccinated. The child must complete their isolation before getting a vaccine so that they do not expose others at a vaccination clinic to the virus.  

Children with a history of MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) may be vaccinated once they have recovered or once it has been more than 90 days since diagnosis, whichever is longer. There is no information that suggests that antibodies from a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection would interfere with vaccine efficacy. 

No, you should not wait until your child is 12 to get the ‘larger’/adult dose. Children should get the first COVID-19 vaccine that is available to them. At Ottawa Public Health clinics, children who are 11 (born in 2010) will receive the 10-mcg dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Only the 10-mcg pediatric formulation of the vaccine has been assessed for safety in the 5-11 year old population in clinical trials and these trials did not indicate any serious safety concerns. 

Vaccine confidence is an important focus for Ottawa Public Health. Vaccine misinformation is widespread and can be a deterrent to vaccine confidence. We are here to provide trustworthy, science-based information to help you understand why Ottawa Public Health promotes vaccines as an important, reliable and safe way of protecting you and your loved ones from vaccine preventable diseases.

Here are some common myths about COVID-19 vaccines