The City of Toronto has pulled a video ad campaign encouraging families to vaccinate their kids for COVID-19 after backlash from the public..One video in particular — which suggested children shouldn't be allowed to play with their friends unless they've been vaccinated — brought about widespread condemnation from Canadians online.."This video missed the mark on that message and should not have been posted," said Brad Ross, Toronto's chief communications officer in an email to the Western Standard.."Any future videos of this nature will undergo a more rigorous approvals process, including by Toronto Public Health, to ensure clarity of the message being conveyed before making them public.".A series of five videos aimed at parents and caregivers about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines were pulled off the internet just hours after being posted on Tuesday. Each video cost $4,000 to produce, meaning taxpayers paid a total of $20,000 for the campaign..Ross said the video series was a community-led initiative by the vaccine engagement team, a group of ambassadors that's been "extremely effective in educating and informing residents about the efficacy of vaccine, its safety and its availability.".The short video in question shows children running around on a playground. A little girl watching the kids from a window asks her mom, "Can I go outside and play with my friends?"."No, honey, there's still something going around," her mom responds..The caption then reads, "Kids should be out there, not in here," and promotes COVID-19 vaccination for children aged six months to 12 years..Viewers took issue with the video's apparent suggestion children shouldn't be allowed to play outside unless they've been vaccinated for COVID-19. The video likely reminded many of vaccine mandates, which prevented millions of Canadians from accessing public spaces, travelling, and keeping their jobs..The remaining videos have similar messages, suggesting COVID-19 vaccines are a prerequisite for children to participate in normal activities. One video shows a young girl interrupting her mother's Zoom meeting, before a caption declares, "She should be in school.".Another video explains "Human connections are stronger than internet connections," after showing a child failing to video call with his friend due to a poor internet connection..During a video call with a newborn baby and her parents, relatives ogle over her cuteness and ask, "When can we see her? We would love to see her." The caption says, "Get connected [in real life.]".Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 39 children between the ages of zero and 11 were recorded as dying from COVID-19. Some of the deaths include children who merely tested positive for the disease within two weeks of dying..While Canada recently opened up booster shots for children aged five to 11, Denmark did away with COVID-19 vaccines for those under 18, unless they have serious underlying health conditions.
The City of Toronto has pulled a video ad campaign encouraging families to vaccinate their kids for COVID-19 after backlash from the public..One video in particular — which suggested children shouldn't be allowed to play with their friends unless they've been vaccinated — brought about widespread condemnation from Canadians online.."This video missed the mark on that message and should not have been posted," said Brad Ross, Toronto's chief communications officer in an email to the Western Standard.."Any future videos of this nature will undergo a more rigorous approvals process, including by Toronto Public Health, to ensure clarity of the message being conveyed before making them public.".A series of five videos aimed at parents and caregivers about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines were pulled off the internet just hours after being posted on Tuesday. Each video cost $4,000 to produce, meaning taxpayers paid a total of $20,000 for the campaign..Ross said the video series was a community-led initiative by the vaccine engagement team, a group of ambassadors that's been "extremely effective in educating and informing residents about the efficacy of vaccine, its safety and its availability.".The short video in question shows children running around on a playground. A little girl watching the kids from a window asks her mom, "Can I go outside and play with my friends?"."No, honey, there's still something going around," her mom responds..The caption then reads, "Kids should be out there, not in here," and promotes COVID-19 vaccination for children aged six months to 12 years..Viewers took issue with the video's apparent suggestion children shouldn't be allowed to play outside unless they've been vaccinated for COVID-19. The video likely reminded many of vaccine mandates, which prevented millions of Canadians from accessing public spaces, travelling, and keeping their jobs..The remaining videos have similar messages, suggesting COVID-19 vaccines are a prerequisite for children to participate in normal activities. One video shows a young girl interrupting her mother's Zoom meeting, before a caption declares, "She should be in school.".Another video explains "Human connections are stronger than internet connections," after showing a child failing to video call with his friend due to a poor internet connection..During a video call with a newborn baby and her parents, relatives ogle over her cuteness and ask, "When can we see her? We would love to see her." The caption says, "Get connected [in real life.]".Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 39 children between the ages of zero and 11 were recorded as dying from COVID-19. Some of the deaths include children who merely tested positive for the disease within two weeks of dying..While Canada recently opened up booster shots for children aged five to 11, Denmark did away with COVID-19 vaccines for those under 18, unless they have serious underlying health conditions.
