Editor:
I read recently an article in the NOW about how child vaccinations in Burnaby have “stalled” just makes me so angry.
The rate of the parents being vaccinated at least twice is somewhere around 90% but is only about 65% for kids in the ages of five and 11 for one dose – as of Feb. 15, 2022.
“The increase is only 1% from the previous update reported on Feb. 8, 2022,” says the story, meaning that parents are slowing down getting kids vaccinated.
It’s good that Burnaby holds the second-highest rate for first doses in Fraser Health, but it should be way higher by now.
I mean what are parents waiting for? These parents are OK getting two doses of the vaccine to protect themselves – sometimes even three – but aren’t willing to protect their own children?
“We still don’t have a lot of insight into the long-term impacts on younger children from infection, even though it does, thankfully, seem to be relatively mild in younger kids,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in the article. “We still don’t have a good understanding of children and longer-term impacts of this virus and infections in children, so that’s an important thing we’re still trying to get information about. We’ll need to monitor this over the long haul.”
It’s clear from this statement that children are at risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. Why would you risk your child’s health by not getting them vaccinated? Because of some garbage they read on Facebook?
This is child abuse and parents should be ashamed for not taking action when it’s right there for the taking.
Get on with it.
T. Felton, Burnaby
