B.C. doctor says combatting misinformation key as COVID-19 vaccine rolls out for kids

As approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for younger kids seems imminent in Canada, a Vancouver doctor says combatting misinformation while addressing parental concerns will be crucial to a successful rollout.

The U.S. began giving shots to children ages 5 to 11 Wednesday, less than 24 hours after kid-sized doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were approved and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

Pfizer requested Health Canada’s approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for children in that age group in mid-October, after submitting clinical trial data at the beginning of that month.

RELATED: Pfizer vaccine approved for U.S. youth aged 5-11. When can Canadians expect the same?

Family physician Dr. Anna Wolak says she expects the feds to give the vaccine the greenlight within weeks.

“I know everybody’s hoping that it’s days, not weeks, but realistically, we’re looking at a matter of weeks before we can start getting this into our kids’ arms,” she says.

“It looks like we should be on track for mid-to-late November and hopefully get at least one shot into our little ones before the end of 2021.”

Since B.C. opened up registration for kids in this age group on Thanksgiving weekend, Wolak says she’s been getting a lot of questions from parents about the vaccine’s safety for children.

“The first question I get asked is, because my patients know that I’m a parent as well is, ‘Are you getting your kids vaccinated?'” she tells CityNews.

“Absolutely. My husband and I have discussed this, we are getting our kids vaccinated. Every single parent-physician who I know cannot wait to get their kids vaccinated.”

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Wolak says this goes a long way to alleviate some concerns, but also underscores the need for parents to get their information from reliable sources.

“If I am getting my kids vaccinated, then that means that I have that much faith in the process of review by Health Canada. I know they’re not going to approve something that is inherently dangerous for the children. I believe in the safety of the vaccine, the efficacy of the vaccine,” she says.

“The line of conversation between you and a health professional that you trust, or even somebody that you trust, is vital and needs to be continually ramped up — especially as this rollout starts to happen.”

In the time left before first doses for these kids are available, Wolak says there needs to be a concerted campaign to counter misinformation.

“I anticipate there is going to be a lot of resistance because I’m already seeing it ramping up in social media,” she says.

“A lot of the doctors who are talking quite strongly about vaccinating kids are already getting online hate and threats, and all of that. So we anticipate that this is going to be a harder battle. A lot of parents are concerned and everybody has questions, especially when it comes to our little kids.  Logistically and physically, I suspect there won’t be many bottlenecks in the system. I suspect it will be a lot smoother than it was for adults. But these vaccine conversations, they’re going to be a bit harder.”

While Wolak says there are some documented side effects of getting the shot, she talks parents through concerns about this by explaining they are generally “mild, treatable and transient.” She also provides as much data as she can about rare, serious side effects.

The other thing that Wolak says parents ask her about is why the shot is even necessary for kids.

“‘Why should I vaccinate my kids if they don’t get that sick?’ There is that pervasive thought and while it is true that kids are not getting as sick at the same rate as adults are, there are still those children who can get quite acutely sick,” she says, noting that MIS-C

“If kids get sick and even if they’re not that sick, the worry is that if they are unvaccinated, they can still be vectors, and they can still transmit to the vulnerable people in their families and in society.”

The vaccine – one-third the dose given to older children and adults and administered with kid-sized needles – requires two doses three weeks apart, plus two more weeks for complete protection to kick in. Canada has already signed a deal to procure 2.9 million doses.