Vaccinations for eligible Burnaby children aged 5-11 against COVID-19 are barely moving, according to updated provincial data.
The BC Centre for Disease Control's (BCCDC) vaccine coverage progress by local health area update shows second doses for those aged 5-11 and eligible increased by one per cent to 49% from March 29 to April 5, 2022.
Percentages across Fraser Health as of April 5, 2022, are as follows:
- New Westminster - 50%
- Burnaby - 49%
- Tri-Cities - 47%
- Delta - 45%
- South Surrey/White Rock - 44%
- Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows - 37%
- Langley - 36%
- Surrey - 32%
- Chilliwack - 25%
- Abbotsford - 23%
- Mission - 22%
- Agassiz/Harrison - 19%
- Hope - 17%
Vaccination key to reducing COVID risk in B.C. schools: BCCDC report
Vaccination is key to reducing risk in B.C. schools, according to a B.C. Centre for Disease Control report – but fewer than 40% of elementary-school-aged children in the province are fully vaccinated against COVID.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control's newly posted Situation Report for K-12 schools highlights the importance of vaccination in keeping schools safe, as students have returned to masks-optional classrooms following March break.
"Increasing COVID-19 vaccine coverage among all eligible individuals remains the most effective strategy to reduce the risk in K-12 schools for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year," says the March 2022 report, posted on April 7. "Not only does vaccination help protect the individual, particularly against severe outcomes, it can also help protect others in the community who are not able to be vaccinated."
Vaccination rates remain low for elementary-school-aged children, however.
B.C.-wide, just 56% of five-to-11-year-olds have received one dose of vaccine, while 39% have received their full two doses.
Pediatric vaccination rates vary widely across the province, with the Northern and Interior health regions having much lower vaccination rates than Vancouver Coastal Health and Island Health. Fraser Health (which spans from Burnaby to Hope and surrounding territory) has seen mixed results, with urban areas such as New Westminster and Burnaby having much higher rates than Hope and Agassiz/Harrison.
Among 12-to-17-year-olds, provincewide vaccination rates are significantly higher: 89% with one dose, 86% with two doses, and 34% with three doses. (The third dose, or booster shot, is not being offered to the younger children.)
Preschool-aged children (0 to 4) are not yet eligible for any vaccines.
Here's how to get your child vaccinated in B.C.
In order to be vaccinated, five-to-11-year-olds must first be registered in B.C.'s Get Vaccinated system, after which time an invitation will be sent (by text or email) to book an appointment.
You can find all the information online at B.C.'s pediatric vaccine page, or call the central vaccination line at 1-833-838-2323.
- With files from Julie MacLellan, New West Record
