Pressure mounts on Doug Ford to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for Ontario students
Pressure is mounting on Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory to attend public school in Ontario.
With Health Canada expected to soon approve the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five to 11, opposition parties are urging the Tories to add it the list of nine compulsory shots students must already receive.
Vaccination for COVID-19 should be just like any other childhood vaccination," NDP MPP Marit Stiles (Davenport) told reporters Wednesday at Queen's Park.
It should be added to that mandatory list," said Stiles, referring to the required vaccinations for chickenpox, diphtheria, measles, meningitis, mumps, polio, rubella, tetanus, and whooping cough for four- to six-year-olds.
There are medical, religious and conscience" exemptions from those shots, but parents must complete education sessions and get clearance from local public health officials and their family doctor or nurse practitioner.
While Dr. Kieran Moore, the chief medical officer of health, is reviewing whether to add a 10th vaccination to the school list, Liberal house leader John Fraser said the province needs to do it.
We have to get people there. It's about educating people," said Fraser, noting shots have been compulsory for other diseases for decades.
Green Leader Mike Schreiner said when it's approved" in Canada, the COVID-19 vaccine should be included for schoolchildren.
Yes, we think there should be a tenth. It's been shown that vaccines are the best way to put the pandemic behind us," said Schreiner.
Health Minister Christine Elliott noted that 88 per cent of eligible Ontarians aged 12 and up have received one dose and 84 per cent are fully vaccinated. She predicted the government would replicate that success with children aged five to 11.
We have been working on a vaccination plan children aged five to 11 for months now. We recognize that Health Canada approval may be forthcoming very quickly," she said.
Elliott said all 34 of Ontario's public health units have now submitted their region-specific plans for vaccinating children against COVID-19.
Many of those vaccination programs will be carried out in schools - perhaps not during school hours but after hours and on weekends," the minister said.
There may be some children who might not be able to for medical reasons. However, we are encouraging all parents to have their children aged five to 11 vaccinated as soon as it becomes available by Health Canada's approval," she said.
We will be able to supply those vaccines. We have the orders in. We have the capability to do it, and we are ready to deliver. Just as we've successfully done with adults, we will successfully do with children as well."
But Stiles suggested Ford undermined the potential effectiveness of plans for schoolchildren when he said Tuesday that he understands why parents may be leery.
Do we want to get them vaccinated? Yes," the premier said in Ottawa.
But there are some parents that are ... a little hesitant at the age of five or six. I get it. So let's do our best and get as many people vaccinated. I also understand that they don't want to get their five-year-old or six-year-old vaccinated. Do I want everyone to? One hundred per cent."
Stile said the premier himself sowed more doubts about vaccines for kids."
On Tuesday night, the government's science table of pandemic advisers released a new report recommending school-based vaccination."
Moore, who will hold his weekly media briefing on Thursday afternoon, said in August that it was prudent and reasonable" to start looking at an immunization strategy for students. We're an active discussion with the Ministry of Education on having an immunization policy," he said at the time.
Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie