What we know about kids and COVID-19 vaccines
CBC
It's normal for parents of school-aged kids to have questions about the prospect of COVID-19 vaccines becoming available to protect younger Canadians, according to pediatricians who say showing compassion with vaccine hesitancy could go a long way.
Health Canada said it expects to receive Pfizer-BioNtech's formal filing for authorization of its vaccine for children aged five to 11 this week.
Daniel Flanders, a pediatrician in Toronto, is already fielding calls from parents who want their children to be first in line for the immunizations, as well as parents who are more cautious.
"There's a spirit nowadays in the media and in doctors' offices where, you know, parents feel like if they even for a moment feel skeptical they're going to be shunned," Flanders told Dr. Brian Goldman on The Dose podcast. "I agree we need to push to get everyone vaccinated, but I think we need to be a little bit more compassionate and understanding."
When COVID-19 vaccines rolled out to adults and teens worldwide, people generally became more comfortable as the safety data accumulated, Flanders said. He suspects the same will happen if Health Canada approves the vaccines to protect younger kids.
Flanders said he has "all the time in the world" to talk to parents and patients who are eager to learn more to make an informed decision about COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Pfizer vaccine, which is already authorized in those 12 and up, has been shown to lead to a strong immune response in school-aged kids, based on a clinical trial of more than 2,200 participants, the companies said last month in a press release.
Kayla DeMong fought tears as she described the dire conditions on the front lines, pleading for more help from the province as staff at the harm reduction site she leads try to keep up with the recent spike in overdoses.
A B.C. woman who has been detained by U.S. immigration officials for 11 days, after trying to enter the country, will be released on Friday, according to her father.
Toronto is doubling the number of automated speed cameras on city streets.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange is alleging the former CEO of Alberta Health Services was unwilling and unable to implement the government's plan to break up the health authority, became "infatuated" with her internal investigation into private surgical contracts and made "incendiary and inaccurate allegations about political intrigue and impropriety" before she was fired in January.
Hudson's Bay Company filed for creditor protection last week, saying it's struggling to pay landlords, vendors and employees — and it's a process that could lead to the sale or closure of Canada's oldest company.
Still sleepy from this week's time change?
RCMP say a man died while in police custody on Wednesday in downtown Yellowknife, and Alberta RCMP are investigating the incident.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal officials left an hours-long meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying they feel more positive about the Canada-U.S. trading relationship after weeks of bad blood and heated rhetoric.
The Alberta government wants to cut more than $400 million in the fees it pays to doctors, according to a confidential memo obtained by The Canadian Press.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada's incoming prime minister needs to immediately and urgently negotiate a way to avoid China's planned tariffs on Canadian canola — even before an election call.
A judge has sentenced a 48-year-old man to life in prison for brutally stabbing his ex-wife and daughter to death in North York in 2022.
Ontario is seeing a massive surge in measles cases as an ongoing outbreak spreads in the province among mostly unvaccinated people.
Prince Edward Island's Affordable Housing Development Program fell short of its intended purpose, the province's Auditor General says.