COVID-19 vaccinations for kids in Hamilton can be booked starting Tuesday

Hamilton parents can start booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for kids aged five to 11 as of 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Hamilton Public Health Services says it's prepared to vaccinate 42,000 children with thePfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine using several clinics four fixed, seven mobile and three in-school. Public health staff will start vaccinating kids on Thursday.

The health unit has also developed an online booking systemand a page of frequently asked questions.

Public health consulted with McMaster Children's Hospital, child life specialists and other community agencies on the plan, it said Monday. That plan includes offering fixed "family-friendly clinics" at Lime Ridge Mall, the Centre on Barton and the David BraleyHealth Sciences Centre, and mobile clinics throughout Hamilton. There's also an Indigenous clinic at theBiindigen Hub on Britannia Avenue.

Niagara Region Public Health, meanwhile, is holding a virtual town hall for parents Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. for those who want to hear more about getting their kids vaccinated. Appointments can be made via the provincial booking system.

In Halton, appointments can be made via the region's online booking system. Brant County Health Unit has its own online booking form, as does the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has said thata complete series of the Pfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19vaccine(10 micrograms) may be offered to kids aged fiveto 11 who do not have contradictions to thevaccine. It also says doses should be eight weeks apart.