Scotiabank Arena to host mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic for young kids Dec. 12-15
This year, as many as 500 under-5 youth from across Montreal will be at Scotiabank Arena to get their first dose of the vaccine ahead of a scheduled campaign from Dec. 12-15. It’s part of the Canadian Immunization Guide, which is an initiative of the Public Health Agency of Canada as a way to reach youth and boost immunity.
“This vaccine is one of the most crucial vaccines for our youth. Not only is it the first immunisation of the New Year, but it is also a very important vaccine for our entire life. To ensure that it would be given and well-performed is essential,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, an infectious disease doctor and head of the PAMPS laboratory.
Immunization is a key part of the PAMPS health care system, which offers all the services that are needed for a patient’s entire life. And for children, it is especially important because of their rapid growth and development.
“These under-5 children are the most vulnerable. Their parents are usually working, or very recently graduated, and they are in very critical situation in terms of their income, their job security, their education and in terms of social status,” said Dr. Charlebois.
As of this week, the vaccine is still in distribution and is also expected to reach its target of 1,000 doses in circulation by May. With the mass vaccination campaign, the province is hoping to catch up with the rest of the country.
“We are really trying to catch up with the rest of the country because only 20% of kids are up-to-date with the measles vaccine. This is the first vaccine in the New Year. So our focus is to get the rest of the kids up to date,
