COVID-19 vaccination rates in eligible Burnaby children are still crawling, according to updated data.
The BC Centre for Disease Control's (BCCDC) vaccine coverage progress by local health area update shows second doses for those eligible children aged 5-11 and increased by two per cent to 51% from April 4 to 10, 2022.
Percentages across Fraser Health as of April 10, 2022, are as follows:
- Tri-Cities - 48%
- Surrey - 33%
- South Surrey/White Rock - 45%
- New Westminster - 52%
- Mission - 23%
- Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows - 39%
- Langley - 37%
- Hope - 18%
- Delta - 46%
- Chilliwack - 26%
- Burnaby - 51%
- Agassiz/Harrison - 20%
- Abbotsford - 24%
Vaccination key to reducing COVID risk in B.C. schools: BCCDC report
Vaccination is key to reducing risk in B.C. schools, according to a B.C. Centre for Disease Control report – but fewer than 40% of elementary-school-aged children in the province are fully vaccinated against COVID as of April 8, 2022.
"Increasing COVID-19 vaccine coverage among all eligible individuals remains the most effective strategy to reduce the risk in K-12 schools for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year," says the March 2022 report, posted on April 7. "Not only does vaccination help protect the individual, particularly against severe outcomes, it can also help protect others in the community who are not able to be vaccinated."
Pediatric vaccination rates vary widely across the province, with the Northern and Interior health regions having much lower vaccination rates than Vancouver Coastal Health and Island Health. Fraser Health (which spans from Burnaby to Hope and surrounding territory) has seen mixed results, with urban areas such as New Westminster and Burnaby having much higher rates than Hope and Agassiz/Harrison.
Preschool-aged children (0 to 4) are not yet eligible for any vaccines.
Here's how to get your child vaccinated in B.C.
In order to be vaccinated, five-to-11-year-olds must first be registered in B.C.'s Get Vaccinated system, after which time an invitation will be sent (by text or email) to book an appointment.
You can find all the information online at B.C.'s pediatric vaccine page, or call the central vaccination line at 1-833-838-2323.
- With files from Julie MacLellan, New West Record
