Kids ages 5-11 exempt from vaccine passports

Ontario does not plan to require children ages five to 11 to show proof of vaccination to get into restaurants and other non-essential venues, says chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore.

Any thoughts of doing so are “premature,” Moore said Thursday, given that the rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 only began for that age group this week, and because the government does not want parents to feel coerced into getting shots for their children.

The comments came after New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath and Green Leader Mike Schreiner said Premier Doug Ford’s government should eventually include the five to 11 age group in the vaccination certificate system.

Amid increasing pressure to expand eligibility for booster doses to those younger than 70 and beyond people who got two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, Moore said the public health system currently is busy with the new cohort of children to vaccinate, as well as with administering flu shots.

But he said news on expanded eligibility for booster shots is coming “in the next few weeks” as the government reviews data on immunity and gauges the capacity of its delivery system.

In the meantime, he encouraged everyone who is currently eligible to get their booster shots as soon as possible.