Parents must now be present for COVID-19 vaccinations in Sask. elementary schools
Parents will now have to be present for the COVID-19 vaccination of elementary school students in schools, according to a new policy change from the Government of Saskatchewan.
Parental consent forms were previously considered adequate for elementary students beyond grade four.
“Opposed to other vaccines, this one has a lot of misinformation around it,” Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman said.
“We want to make sure that that child is getting that vaccine and the parent is comfortable. We don’t ever want to give the perception that we are giving COVID-19 vaccines behind parent’s backs. That’s why we are asking them to be there up front.”
NDP leader Ryan Meili said treating this vaccine differently than others sends the wrong message.
“But this is what you get. We have an education minister right now who refuses to say that every kid should get vaccinated, refuses to promote vaccination for kids,” Meili said.
The NDP fear that requiring parents to attend school for their children’s vaccine will result in fewer children participating. The health minister hopes not and expects it might even encourage some parents to get vaccinated while they’re there.
Kelly Basaraba is a Prince Albert Parent who believes parents should be present in schools when their children get vaccinated.
“Yes, I think it’s a very good idea that parents should be with their children while they’re getting the needle. They’re not old enough to decide and be there by themselves," she said.
The last-minute policy change saw parents at Vickers School in Prince Albert informed with just a day’s notice.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.