A first shipment of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for children has arrived in Canada.
A UPS device landed in Hamilton at around 5:15 pm It was carrying several thousand doses of the pediatric vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNtech.
Health Canada on Friday authorized the use of this vaccine for children between the ages of five and eleven. The federal government then committed to receiving a first delivery within 48 hours.
Supply Minister Filomena Tassi said on Friday that 2.9 million doses should be available by the end of the week. This total should allow all children in the target age group to receive a first dose.
The government is trying to get these doses to provincial and territorial authorities.
Several jurisdictions have started to make appointments for the vaccination, but no details have yet been released on this subject.