Strong first week for Quebec kids' vaccines; 38 per cent already have shot or appointment
Despite some dire polls suggesting that vaccine coverage for Quebec children might be low, the first week showed encouraging numbers, with nearly 40 per cent already given their shot or booked for one.
That doesn't include many, many kids who will receive the shot at school this month.
"As of December 2, 9:15 a.m., 108,344 children aged five to 11 have received their first dose," wrote Marie-Louise Harvey of Quebec's health ministry in a statement Thursday.
That adds up to 17 per cent of the province's kids in that age group, one week after they became eligible for the vaccine last Wednesday.
A much bigger group, 143,180, have an appointment booked, Harvey said.
Combined, that adds up to 38 per cent of Quebec kids in this age group.
NUMBERS TO GROW THROUGHOUT THE MONTH
In terms of tracking appointments made, the province is only able to do that if they're made on Clic-Santé, the provincial online portal, Harvey said.
"Note that in some regions, parents who want their child to be vaccinated at school must make an appointment on Clic-Santé. In other regions, the portal is not used," she said.
In those other regions, there's no data available on how many parents have signed up their children for shots at school.
The school nurse visits will continue throughout this month, until Christmas vacation, so it won't be clear for a few weeks what the overall uptake has been.
However, the first week's count is already somewhat encouraging, considering some recent numbers that suggested Quebec parents will be far less likely to get their kids vaccinated than parents in the rest of Canada.
A Leger poll released in late November showed that about half of parents in the rest of the country agreed that once the kids' vaccine had passed trials, children under 12 should get vaccinated.
In Quebec, however, the number was only about 40 per cent, depending on whether the parents had one or more child -- among Quebec parents with an only child, only 37 per cent agreed, while 43 per cent said a firm no.
Among parents with more than one child, it was 44 per cent, still significantly lower than the national average.
That survey was done in September and October.
Another survey, done by Quebec's public health institute as part of a rolling online poll about COVID-19, showed two weeks ago that only 60 per cent of Quebec parents planned to get their five-to-11 kids a shot.
MONTREAL APPEARS LOWER THAN AVERAGE
The uptake so far varies by region, said Harvey, though she didn't say which regions were the highest.
"In six regions, we can see a greater enthusiasm for the moment," she said.
"For the other regions, the percentage is between 25 and 37 per cent."
Montreal is currently lower than the provincial average, unless there has been a big jump over the last day.
On Wednesday, Montreal's public health director, Dr. Mylène Drouin, said that 14 per cent of Montreal children have been vaccinated, with another 16 per cent booked, adding up to 30 per cent in total.
Overall, there are nearly 654,000 children aged five to 11 across the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.