Last month, Health Canada officially gave the green light for the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for kids between the ages of 5-11 years old.

As of right now, it's the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for children in that age group; clinical trials have reportedly shown good protection from the virus with no safety issues. But that doesn't mean some aren't still skeptical about whether or not they should vaccinate their child, even if they have already decided to get the jab themselves.  

Rhonda Kitchen, Pharmacist and owner of Hill's Drug Store, says that there's no reason to believe that this pediatric version isn't safe for your child.

"Health Canada definitely waited before reviewing any information until they had what they needed, they would not have approved it until they had the evidence showing in studies that it was going to be first off, effective and 2nd off not have major concerns." She continues. "So certainly, as numbers of (vaccinated) kids increase, you know there may be those rare side effects, but at this point from what they're seeing in the studies, it is showing to be very, very effective and very safe."

Kitchen explains that getting our children vaccinated is essential in getting back to some form of normalcy.

"I think it is important that, if we know that it's going to be effective, that we can have the kids immunized because a lot of the concerns with the social gatherings and school education primary trying to keep them in school has been preventing the spreads through cohorts and through classes, so to be able to have more interaction without the risk or fear of things spreading and taking out a whole class of kids which then affects the parents that need to be at home and all of the ramifications of that."

The Pharmacist and owner of Hill's Drug Store adds that it's a double edge sword for children putting their parents at risk to contract COVID-19 and vice versa.

"So, really wanting to keep those kids protected and healthy and also protecting the parents who may be putting their kids at risk because they're out in the in the workforce and bringing things home so it really does protect on both sides and really an essential part of trying to get back to as normal as we may ever be."

For more on vaccines for kids, click here.