Some B.C. parents crossing U.S. border to get COVID-19 shots for kids

COVID-19 vaccines for Canadian kids aged five to 11 are on the way, but some B.C. parents are getting impatient and looking to head across the border to get their children a shot in the U.S.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for kids in the states on Oct. 29. Canada’s top doctor said Friday that approval in this country will likely come in the next two weeks.

Given that a trip across the line only takes about an hour, and crossing the land border is now allowed for fully vaccinated adults, Vancouver parent Geoff Berner has called pharmacy after pharmacy in Bellingham, Washington to see if it would be possible for his 8-year-old Canadian daughter to get a shot.

“We don’t have the vaccine approved in Canada yet but they do in America, we’d like to get our kid vaccinated as soon as possible,” he tells CityNews.

“I wanted to see if we could do it, and it was easy. I have it booked now.”

RELATED: Canada could authorize vaccine for kids aged five to 11 in ‘one to two weeks’

Berner has his daughter booked for Nov. 22nd and he adds some of the U.S. pharmacies he spoke with said they also have quite a few same-day appointments available.

Current rules for crossing the border mean unvaccinated kids can’t go to school or daycare for two weeks after returning from a trip stateside, but Berner says that isn’t a concern for him since his daughter is being home-schooled.

Overall he’s critical of B.C.’s response to the pandemic, saying not enough is being done to prevent exposures in schools, that booster shots aren’t being given quickly enough to residents in long-term care, and that the province should introduce mass rapid testing.

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Family Physician. Dr.Anna Wolak has heard from numerous parents interested in heading south to get their kids vaccinated, but she suggests logistics — particularly the need for adults to show a negative test — will deter many.

“There’s the PCR test. There’s the quarantine coming back. I think, impulsively, people were like ‘I’m just going to go to the states and get it because that’s how much people want it. But then when you think it through logically it’s not going to happen that way,” she says.

Richmond mother Karina Reid says she doesn’t think going to the U.S. is ethical.

“We have a great public health system in Canada and parents should be waiting their turn. I would never jump the line and try to get my child vaccinated before anyone else” she says.

“I hope that parents can manage their own anxiety, and know that there is going to be an end at some point, and be patient and wait their turn.”

B.C. parents have been allowed to register their kids to get the vaccine since Thanksgiving weekend.

Reid’s kids are registered, and she says she looks forward to getting a notification that they can book their appointment.