COVID-19 vaccination bookings slowing for those aged 5-11 in Waterloo Region

In just two weeks, Waterloo Region has provided a first dose of COVID-19 vaccinations to 14,425 kids aged five to 11 in the area but the momentum appears to be shifting.

In just two weeks, Waterloo Region has provided a first dose of COVID-19 vaccinations to 14,425 kids between the ages of five and 11 in the area, according to Vickie Murray, who is leading the vaccination efforts in the area.

She says that means that 30.34 per cent of the approximately 48,000 children in that age group have now had a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

But Murray says the first rush of families booking appointments for their kids is beginning to wane.

“I think we were very successful, reaching 30 per cent in two weeks,” she said.

“And I will be honest that children’s doses, children’s vaccine appointments are slowing down in the clinics.”

The director of pharmacy for both of Kitchener’s major hospitals could not say for sure why that was happening but she did offer her thoughts.

“Some of it, I think, is whenever you implement something new, there’s always a bit of a bell curve of how quickly people come out,” Murray told reporters Friday morning.

“And so I think when you look on that curve, we have surpassed the eager adopter numbers, right, with our 30 per cent.”