First Canadian kids under 12 get vaccinated against COVID-19

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A group of kids in Toronto became the first Canadians younger than 12 to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 10 children were vaccinated in advance of the national rollout of vaccine as part of a partnership with Toronto Public Health and the city’s Hospital for Sick Children.

• READ MORE: Toronto children become first in Canada to receive COVID-19 vaccine

“You could really feel the joy and relief that I know many of us have experienced as a result of having gotten the best protection we have against COVID-19,” Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's medical officer of health, told reporters at the event.

Last week, Health Canada announced the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11. The doses are one third the size of those given to the other age groups.

Several provinces have already begun scheduling children for a vaccine appointment. In Quebec, 80,000 children registered for a vaccine on the first day of bookings, with vaccination programs at schools beginning on Nov. 29.

In a news release, the City of Toronto said a “limited number” of vaccine appointments would be available on Wednesday, with a “large number” of appointments on Thursday.