Survey: half of respondents plan to have children aged 5-11 vaccinated against COVID-19
Survey results by pollster Angus Reid suggest half of Canadian parents plan to have their elementary school-aged children vaccinated against COVID-19 right away.
Results released Monday show one in two of the 812 parents who responded will have their children vaccinated as soon as Health Canada approves one for the 5 to 11 age group.
Survey data indicated parents in Alberta were least likely to vaccinate their children in the specified age group, with 46 per cent affirming their intention to vaccinate as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Ontario showed the strongest favourable response with 54 per cent and the Manitoba-Saskatchewan region close behind at 53 per cent.
Among those respondents who decided against ever obtaining any vaccine for their children, Quebec and Alberta were highest at 30 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.
Nationally, 18 per cent of parents said they planned to take a wait-and-see approach to having their children vaccinated. Nine per cent of the total survey respondents fell into the ‘Not Sure’ category.
In a release accompanying the results, Angus Reid noted that COVID-19 cases have been rising in younger children in many parts of the country.
Though children are at relatively low risk of serious illness from the virus, concerns about spread to vulnerable populations have health officials voicing support for vaccination among youngsters.
In September, Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force said the province is planning to be ready as soon as a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for younger children.
Reimer said the task force is looking at different options to provide that dose upon approval, which could include school-based immunizations.
“Regardless of whether or not we offer it in schools, we will still have medical clinics, our pharmacies, and, in more remote settings, our public health teams would be offering the vaccine to younger children once it’s approved,” Reimer said.
Angus Reid conducted a survey online from September 29 to Oct. 3 among a representative random sample of 5,011 adults. The company said a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
PWHL Minnesota defeats Boston to win inaugural Walter Cup
Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston 3-0 in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
'Targeted again': Montreal police investigate after gunshot fired at Jewish school
Police are investigating another building in Montreal's community was struck by gunfire.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.