Here's how many B.C. kids under 5 are booked for COVID-19 vaccine
Just a fraction of B.C. parents have registered their children under five to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health.
The province has estimated around 208,000 kids between six months and five years old are eligible to receive the shot. Parents of infants younger than six months can still register their child and receive an invitation to book an appointment once they're old enough.
Online registration became available on July 14 but as of Wednesday just 13,606 of these kids had been registered by their parent, with 8,202 booking appointments. That works out to 6.5 and 3.9 per cent, respectively.
Health Canada approved a two-dose series of the Moderna vaccine for this youngest cohort nearly three weeks ago and several provinces began their rollout not long after.
In B.C., the first doses were administered Tuesday.
“It takes sometimes a little bit longer for us to get the vaccine supply compared to Ontario, for example. So we wanted to make sure that we had it across the province and so everybody's starting today,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a news conference on the day the rollout officially started.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Brian Conway says the rollout of this age category could have been stronger.
“We need to do a bit better,” Conway told CTV News Tuesday.
He says the United States is using some more graphic advertising to remind people about the consequences of contracting COVID-19.
“Although I don't want to get us into scare tactics, I really want to get us over this COVID fatigue and understand what our responsibility is,” said Conway.
He’d like to see clearer, more forceful messaging from public health.
“Our first line of defence is vaccines. I'm not hearing it loud enough. Let's all get vaccinated, including children down to age six months,” said Conway.
Uptake for the first dose among kids between five and 11 years old in British Columbia stalled at about 55 per cent back in February. This is consistent with the national average, which similarly plateaued months ago. Newfoundland and Labrador remains a significant outlier having given one dose to 87 per cent of children in this age group.
Concerns over the low rate of vaccination among this age group were raised by Prime Minster Justin Trudeau back in January. At that point, the rate was 51 per cent and cases were surging due to the Omicron variant.
“The vaccination rate for kids 5 to 12 is too low in Canada, which means not only are kids more vulnerable, but all of society,” Trudeau said at the time.
“We need to do what’s right; we need to continue to do the right thing. That means getting our kids vaccinated. It is safe and effective and the right way to get through this pandemic.”
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Regan Hasegawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.