Low COVID vaccination rates a concern for some as BC children return to school

More than half a million children will be back in school across British Columbia on Tuesday – the third school year will begin during the COVID-19 pandemic, but most protective measures have now disappeared from schools .

At the same time, the vaccination rate for school-aged children remains low. By Monday, 58% of children aged 5 to 11 in British Columbia had received an injection of the vaccine. About 46 percent of the same age group have two injections.

Schools are encouraging students to stay home when sick and to get vaccinated.

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Parents should also expect to receive more information about the vaccine as schools seek to facilitate access to the vaccine, as well as other vaccines, in schools.

“We need to start thinking of COVID vaccines as no longer extraordinary but routine and thinking of them as something we will live with,” said Dr. Anna Wolak, family physician and clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the University. of British Columbia. .

The BC Teachers Federation is calling for better ventilation systems in schools and access to N95 masks for anyone who wants one, especially as vaccination rates remain low.

“We were hoping those numbers would go up this summer,” union president Clint Johnston said. « Any time you’re in a room with that many unvaccinated people, it’s worrying. That’s why we’re pushing for the extra protections that we are.

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British Columbia’s Back-to-School Plans