First elation, then frustration. When Ottawa announced it was dropping hotel, quarantine and some testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians returning from abroad as of 05JUL, a lot of Canadians got excited they’d be able to travel again soon.
Then parents realized there was a big group of Canadians left in limbo: their children.
Currently, no COVID-19 vaccines are approved for children under 12. That immediately creates a scenario of families with mixed vaccine status.
In the fine print of Monday’s announcement of the details of Phase I of Canada’s reopening plan, it actually does state that unvaccinated children - travelling with fully vaccinated parents - will not have to go into hotel quarantine. But they will have self-isolate at home for 14 full days after arriving in Canada, with no testing short cuts.
That compares with their fully vaccinated parents who are exempt from hotel quarantine and will only need to undergo pre-boarding testing and arrival testing, and have a plan in place to isolate until that arrival test clears them in a couple of days. They will not be required to complete a third, 'Day 8' test - or the two-week quarantine.
According to CTV, government officials have said that those vaccinated parents will be able to leave the house during the 14-day at-home quarantine that their unvaccinated children must complete.
And even the Health Minister can see the weakness in that plan. Patty Hajdu is quoted as acknowledging that would “undoubtedly” be “challenging” for returning families.
The Public Health Agency of Canada emailed a statement in response to a query from CTV National News, clarifying that, “individuals who are unable to receive the vaccine, due to eligibility (age) or other health reasons (medical history), can still be infected by COVID-19 and, therefore, still pose a risk of transmitting the virus and its variants to others. As a result, those who are currently unable to be fully vaccinated will be required to complete the day-eight test (if they are over five years of age) and full 14-day quarantine.”
That has many parents second-guessing booking travel until either those rules change, or their kids can get vaccinated.
Vaccines For Children Under 12 Near Approval
On that front at least, there may be some good news on the horizon.
The report says both mRNA vaccine companies Pfizer and Moderna have begun trials in children as young as six months old. Pfizer expects early results next month – and full results by September.
“I would expect that if we have full data by early fall, September, October, it's very conceivable that we may start having our kids vaccinated by the end of 2021,” infectious disease specialist Dr. Abdu Sharkawy said on CTV News Channel Wednesday. “So around December, I think it's very likely that Health Canada will have approved these vaccines for children under the age of 12.”
That could give parents the confidence to book winter and spring break vacations for 2022.
But until their kids can be vaccinated and exempt from quarantine restrictions too, many parents interviewed said they’ll hold off booking family trips.
