The COVID-19 Vaccine is available for children ages five to 11 years old

Alberta Health Services has information, resources, and expert advice for parents and caregivers on vaccines for children, including:

• Health Canada approved the Pfizer vaccine following a regulatory review.
• Children aged 5 to 11 years getting the vaccine should receive 2 doses.
• The vaccine dose for children 5 years to 11 years old is a lower dose than the one recommended for children 12 years and older (10mg per dose instead of 30mg).
• It is 90.7% effective in preventing illness and no serious side effects were identified.

The benefits of vaccination for children includes less time away from school or activities, with positive impacts on physical and mental health. AHS also has a webpage with FAQs, Videos with experts, Commitment to Care information, and other helpful resources for parents & caregivers.

Other resources for parents & caregivers:

• AHS – COVID-19 Immunization for Children Under 12
• Canadian Pediatric Society – COVID-19 vaccine for children and youth
• Government of Canada – Vaccines for children: COVID-19

Adults and Children 5+ can get the COVID-19 vaccine. Once vaccinated, find out how to get your vaccine record with QR code.

• COVID-19 Vaccines and Records

Vaccines are a critical way to limit the spread of the virus. They are effective and safe for protecting our health, as well as the health of family and community members.

• AHS COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
• Canada.ca Vaccine Safety, concerns and possible side effects
• Canada.caCOVID-19 Vaccine Information
• Centre for Effective Practice (CEP)
• 19 to 0: United Against COVID-19

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has published a COVID-19 Vaccination Tool Kit for Health Care Providers, which brings together evidence-based vaccine resources on COVID-19, authorized COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine safety and more. We encourage you to spend some time exploring the tool kit.

Vaccine-related resources and tools are also available on the CANVax website. This is an online resource centre for public health professionals that offers curated vaccine-related content, including guidance documents, webinars, policy papers, and fact sheets.

Duty to Accommodate

People with certain disabilities may have difficulty wearing a mask if, for example, they have severe allergies, experience asthma attacks, or have other respiratory issues. Masks are a barrier to people with hearing disabilities who rely on lip reading or facial expressions to communicate. Masks may not be suitable for children and adults with certain physical, intellectual, mental, or cognitive disabilities, such as autism or anxiety.

An inability to access or use a mask should not lead to automatic negative consequences, such as harassment, employee discipline or termination, complete denial of service, or eviction from housing. The employer, service provider, or landlord has a duty to accommodate. For example, a store could provide curbside pickup for a customer unable to wear a mask because of a disability. Similarly, an employer would have an obligation to accommodate employees to the point of undue hardship. However, consideration will be given to their need to balance the accommodation obligation with their other legal obligations to co-workers and customers.

Visit Alberta Human Rights Commission for more information.