Appointments for children age 5 to 11 to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will begin in New Brunswick on Friday, November 26, 2021.

Each pediatric dose contains a third of the amount of a regular dose and will be administered at regional health authority clinics around the province. Parents and guardians can currently book appointments online for their children at gnb.ca. Appointments will also soon be available at select pharmacies and at participating physicians' offices.

Approximately 54,500 New Brunswickers are between the ages of 5 and 11. Although younger people are not as likely to get seriously ill or die from the virus, having a larger portion of the overall population vaccinated will help the province build a stronger shield against the virus, protecting more vulnerable citizens in the process and playing an important role in New Brunswick's COVID-19 recovery.

Although the vaccine is mandatory for people ages 12 and up in order to partake in many non-essential services like dining in restaurants, there is currently no plan in place to make the vaccine mandatory for children in the 5 to 11 year old age range. New Brunswick children who will turn five by Dec. 31, 2021, will also be eligible for the vaccine starting Friday.

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard was in Saint Andrews on Monday to visit the Wellness Centre located at the WC O'Neill arena. Public Health is praising the local wellness centre and the physician recruitment team in Saint Andrews, which included Mayor Brad Henderson and long-time Saint Andrews physician Dr. Brian Peer and his wife Annette Harland, for attracting a second doctor to the community. The recently opened state-of-the-art wellness centre, which was funded by the Sir James Dunn Foundation and the Town of Saint Andrews, was a huge part of the draw for Dr. Julie Levesque-Taylor who relocated from Manitoba with her family to join Dr. Peer at the centre, allowing the clinic's roster of patients to double.

Minister Shephard says Saint Andrews' proactive approach to recruiting a doctor should be a model to other communities.

"We need communities to be active partners in this process," said Shephard.

With 35% of doctors in New Brunswick nearing retirenment age in the next 5 years, attracting new physicians to the province is critical.