School-based vaccination clinics for kids begin rollout in Toronto, but not all parents on board - Toronto Star

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On Thursday, that wait came to an end, when Ruth, 10, and Philip, 6, were among the first children in Toronto to get the jab at a school-based clinic.

“They know what COVID is, they know it’s dangerous and they know the vaccine is supposed to help,” said Adesokun, as he picked up his children after school at St.

Joe Cressy, who’s chair of the Toronto Board of Health.

Mobile clinics will move between schools in a neighbourhood, and students may go to a different school for the shot.

“In some cases, we’re doing a clinic at a school and then two weeks later we have a second clinic at a school two blocks away,” said Cressy of Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York.

Parents will receive a notice directly from their child’s school when a clinic is being hosted.

Initially, school clinics will be in the priority neighbourhoods, which have about 55,000 children aged five to 11.

Francis de Sales, Adesokun said his children were keen on getting the shot after learning about it on Sesame Street and in family discussions, noting his wife works in a hospital.

Nearby, as a dozen parents waited for their children, a Star reporter asked if they intended to get their kids vaccinated.

A recent survey by Toronto Public Health of 43,000 parents, showed 66 per cent of respondents were certain or somewhat likely to get their kids vaccinated and that the preferred setting was a doctor’s office or their child’s school

“I’m not aware of another jurisdiction in North America that has implemented a vaccine equity school-based clinic model on Day One,” said Cressy

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