Alberta's youth vaccination rate the lowest in Canada
Alberta continues to have the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates for children in the country, despite the surge of Omicron variant cases.
Child-sized doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 years old were approved in Canada on Nov. 19, 2021. Appointments to dole out the doses in Alberta began days later on Nov. 24.
Alberta has 391,430 children in the five to 11 age group and, according to the province, 166,319 (42.5 per cent) have received at least their first dose while 24,010 (6.1 per cent) have had two shots.
Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping says a vaccine hesitancy committee has been established to investigate potential ways to improve vaccination rates in the five to 11 age group. Vaccine information has been sent directly to guardians and is also available online.
"We urge all parents to look at the information," said Copping on Monday, before confirming that Alberta is in line with its provincial counterparts. "Our approach is not that dissimilar from other provinces in terms of rolling out the vaccines."
The province has opened up vaccination sites throughout Alberta with extended hours, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., to accommodate the schedules of families as well as the desire of parents to accompany their children.
The numbers released by the government of Alberta vary slightly from those issued by the federal government, but both show Alberta trails other provinces in the percentage of children who have received their first dose.
Percentage of children (5-11) to receive their first dose as of Jan. 15
- B.C.: 47.4
- Alta.: 39.8
- Sask.: 50.4
- Man.: 52.7
- Ont.: 49.6
- Que.: 59.0
- N.L.: 74.7
- N.B.: 54.9
- N.S.: 64.1
- P.E.I.: 57.8
- Yukon: 53.9
- N.W.T.: 54.7
- Nvt.: 50.4
Percentage of children (5-11) considered fully vaccinated as of Jan. 15
- B.C.: 0.1
- Alta.: 5.2
- Sask.: 18.9
- Man.: 3.0
- Ont.: 6.6
- Que.: 4.2
- N.L.: 0.1
- N.B.: 3.2
- N.S.: 0.03
- P.E.I.: 0.0
- Yukon: 0.0
- N.W.T.: 0.0
- Nvt.: 0.1
With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.