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Children still vulnerable The U.S. started giving out COVID-19 vaccines to children under the age of 12 this week after the CDC authorized Pfizer's pediatric vaccine for kids aged 5-11. The vaccine, which is just one-third of the strength of the regular Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, was shipped across the country in anticipation of the CDC decision, and the vaccination campaign is expected to ramp up this week. But in Canada, it could still be weeks before the Pfizer kids' vaccine is approved, officials say. On Oct. 29, Health Canada's Dr. Supriya Sharma told a press conference that she expected a decision in mid-to-late November. Many parents are eager for the shot – especially since, as the Public Health Agency of Canada revealed Friday that children under 12 now account for more new COVID cases than any other age group. "I would say to all parents that Health Canada regulators are working extremely hard to prioritize the review for this vaccine, they need to do due diligence but it will be in weeks and not months," Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said Friday. Global News reporter Aaron D'Andrea has the full story. 
Rolling back mandates This week, both Quebec and Ontario rolled back requirements for health-care workers in those provinces to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. After pushing back Quebec's deadline multiple times, Health Minister Christian Dubé said the province will abandon the measure altogether, as the health-care network can't afford to lose the thousands of non-vaccinated employees. The loss of unvaccinated staff would have had a "devastating effect on the system," according to Quebec's health ministry. Many doctors were upset to learn that Canada's two biggest provinces had dropped their mandates for health-care workers. "This goes against science," said Toronto palliative care physician Dr. Naheed Dosani. "This is really unfortunate news and really surprising." Global News' Saba Aziz spoke to several doctors who said they were outraged by the decision. 
Q: I felt sick for a couple of days after getting my second dose of vaccine. Can I expect the same side effects when I get a booster? "The data so far would suggest that the side effects from the COVID-19 booster shot are very similar to the side effects people experience after the second dose," said Dr. Stephanie Smith, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alberta. "The most common side effect in the Pfizer booster trials was localized pain and achiness at the injection site (reported in 83 per cent of participants) followed by fatigue (63.7 per cent) and headache (48.4 per cent), most of which were mild to moderate. Side effects reported in booster studies with Moderna and Johnston & Johnson were very similar. A smaller proportion of patients developed fever, chills, body aches, nausea and diarrhea. Most symptoms are mild and resolve in 24 to 48 hours." The side effects might change depending on which booster shot you get, said Nafissa Ismail, director of the NeuroImmunology, Stress and Endocrinology Lab at the University of Ottawa. "For the Pfizer booster shot, the side effects may be likely similar to the second dose of the vaccine. For the Moderna booster shot, reports seem to point towards side effects that are more similar to the first dose," she said. "Nevertheless, we have to keep in mind that the side effects differ from one individual to another, and it is also possible to not experience any side effects." "Things like fevers and fatigue are the body's natural anti-viral responses to slow viral replication and forcing you to conserve energy needed to fight off a real infection," said Steven Kerfoot, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Western University. “This response to any vaccine is very individual and it's hard to predict who will have these 'side effects,' except that they are more common in younger people who tend to have more excitable immune cells." "The good news is that there doesn't seem to be a connection between how you feel after the vaccine and the quality of the protective, virus-specific response that it induces. If you don't feel badly after your shot, you should still feel confident that your immune system is doing what it should." Still, Smith said, if you felt badly after your second dose, you should probably prepare to feel similarly after a booster, just in case. | 
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