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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
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.
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.