Vaccination rates for Alberta kids ages 5-11 are the lowest in Canada, but experts see hope ahead – CBC

‘I would definitely love to see the number be a lot higher than it is today,’ expert says

Jan 24, 2022

Alberta is lagging behind all other Canadian provinces and territories when it comes to getting children aged five to 11 vaccinated against COVID-19, publicly available data shows.

Accessibility is a roadblock, and so is vaccine hesitancy among parents and guardians.

But some experts are confident steps can be taken to improve vaccination rates by making it easier for children to get the jab, while continuing to push the research and data proving the vaccine is safe for children.

Public health experts who spoke with CBC News believe that improving vaccine uptake among younger Albertans will be key to protecting them from the illness.

Alberta has been behind the rest of Canada since the reporting week of Dec. 25, federal data shows. The latest federal numbers, for the week of Jan. 15, show 39.81 per cent of Alberta children have received their first doses compared to 47.44 per cent of children in British Columbia — the province with the second-lowest rate.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-child-covid-19-vaccination-rate-1.6323205