Attention PTBO and County Families: Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine for youth ages 12 to 17

PTBO Public Health Logo

May 28, 2021,

The following letter has been sent to all Peterborough and Peterborough County families on behalf of Peterborough Public Health with important information about COVID-19 vaccination eligibility for youth ages 12 to 17.

 

Dear Students and Families,

We are excited to inform you that Peterborough Public Health will be hosting youth based COVID-19 vaccine clinics in the month of June. These clinics will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine that has been authorized by Health Canada for use in individuals aged 12 and over.

On May 23, the province opened up vaccine booking for all residents over the age of 12. Residents age 12-17 are able to book into a vaccine clinic in Peterborough using the provincial vaccine booking system. At this time, Peterborough Public Health estimates that about 1/3 of all residents aged 12-17 have already booked their COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Residents age 12-17 are able to book into any vaccine clinic that is not labeled ‘must be 18 at time of appointment’. However, in an effort to ensure all Peterborough youth will be vaccinated, Peterborough Public Health will be hosting youth-only clinics in June. These clinics will only be available for residents age 12-17 to book into. These clinics will be held at the Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough, on June 15th, 16th, and 17th.

COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Peterborough region are being booked through the provincial vaccine booking system. These special youth clinic appointments will ready for booking on Monday, May 31st. Residents can book their appointment by:

There is a possibility that more youth clinics will be offered throughout our region, information on the dates and locations of these clinics will be shared as soon as possible.

Why is vaccination against COVID-19 so important?
Getting vaccinated will help keep you as safe as possible. Children and youth who get infected with COVID-19 typically experience mild symptoms. However, some can get very sick and require hospitalization. Like adults, children and youth with the virus can transmit it to others, even if they don’t feel sick. Protecting yourself through vaccination will help limit the spread of COVID-19 to others, which helps keep your family, schools, and community as safe as possible.

All vaccines work by presenting our body with something that looks like the infection so that our immune system can learn how to produce its own natural protection. This natural protection then helps to prevent illness if you come into contact with the COVID-19 virus in the future. You cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.

How will vaccines help keep schools as safe as possible?
Infection prevention protocols have helped keep the risk spread of COVID-19 within the school setting low in our region. Getting vaccinated will help reduce the risk even more. The province has made a commitment to provide second doses to eligible youth before the end of the summer, which will help keep you as safe as possible.

Where can I find more information?
To make an informed decision about the COVID-19 vaccination, you can find more information at peterboroughpublichealth.ca or by calling the provincial vaccine inquiry centre at 1-888-999-6488.

Supporting your child to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is an important step in the fight against this disease. It will be a key factor in helping our school community return to a sense of normalcy and will benefit overall physical and mental health for children, youth and their families. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming vaccination clinics!

Peterborough Public Health

 

Larry Stinson,
Hons. B.Sc., MPA(M)
Director of Operations
705-743-1003, ext. 255

 

 

 

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