At Ontario Premier Doug Ford's announcement of the two week extension to the province wide stay-home-order, he said this time will be dedicated to vaccinating as many teachers and students as possible.
"Starting May 31, youth between 12 and 17 years of age and their family members who have not received the vaccine will be able to book an appointment to receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine," Ford said during a news conference Thursday.
Earlier this month, Health Canada announced the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe to give to children ages 12 and up. The authorization was based on the results of Pfizer-BioNTech's Phase 3 clinical trial involving 2,260 adolescents aged 12 to 15.
Premier Ford said schools across Ontario would continue virtual learning until a "consensus" is reached between public health doctors, teachers and labour partners.
"This is our best tool to ensure we have a safe and healthy return in person learning for all teachers and students," Ford said.