Island Health returning to Gabriola to vaccinate children Aug 19

On Friday, August 19 Island Health will be holding a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Gabriola Island for children age 6 months to 11 years.

Health Canada recently approved the Moderna Spikevax mRNA COVID-19 vaccine formulated for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old.

Parents can register their children in the Get Vaccinated system – https://www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca.

Once registration is complete, parents will be invited to book a vaccine appointment at the Gabriola clinic on August 19. Parents are encouraged to register children younger than 6 months now so they can be invited to book an appointment once the child becomes eligible for the vaccine.

According to Island Health, the Moderna Spikevax mRNA COVID-19 vaccine has been specifically tailored for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old. Health Canada conducts a rigorous review of all vaccines before making its determination and we can be confident they have done their due diligence with this vaccine too. Children are less likely to develop severe illness from COVID-19; however, they are still at risk and also can spread the virus to vulnerable adults. Getting children vaccinated protects them directly and is another important layer of protection against this virus and helps others by limiting the spread of COVID-19.

At this time there are a limited number of appointments available, so this clinic will be reserved for children age 6 months to 11 years.