Vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 remain low.
Edmonton Public Schools Vice-Chair Nathan IP served a notice of motion at the December 14, 2021 Board meeting to get a Board vote calling on the province to do more to increase vaccination rates across all age groups.
If the motion is voted in, a letter will be written on behalf of the Board to the Ministers of Health, Education and the Premier recommending the implementation of mobile vaccination clinics, offering voluntary in-school COVID -19 vaccination clinics in underserved areas with the requirement of explicit and documented parental consent and making pediatric COVID-19 vaccines available in pharmacies and doctors’ offices in addition to Public Health Centres.
BACKGROUND
On November 26, 2021, Alberta Health Services (AHS) began administering pediatric doses of PfizerBioNTech (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccinations, previously approved by Health Canada. Today, more than seven weeks later, according to AHS statistics, only 39 percent of children between the ages of five and 12 living in Alberta have received a single COVID-19 vaccination, and far fewer, only 4.4 percent, have had both doses.
Public Health authorities, including the World Health Organization, Health Canada and Alberta Health Services, continue to remind parents that vaccinations are safe and effective for children and adults.
According to the Center for Disease Control, vaccinations are a safe way to protect against COVID-19 and are the most effective tool available to protect communities and loved ones.
Pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations are currently being administered at AHS Public Health Centers in Edmonton. Many families face barriers to accessing immunization services due to issues with English language fluency, limited availability to transit and the lack of paid time off work, among other
challenges.
RATIONALE
Given the current rates of the Omicron variant in our province, its transmissibility and airborne nature, ensuring as many Albertans as possible are fully immunized is essential to protecting essential public services, including our medical system and our schools, by helping prevent potential disruptions caused by the possibility of high student and staff absences.
Alberta Health Services and Edmonton Public Schools have a long history of collaborating to provide safe, convenient, in-school clinics to deliver routine childhood vaccinations to thousands of children every year. Presently, COVID-19 immunizations for children ages 5-11 are only available by appointment
and in select locations.
The lack of access points can create hardship for families and households that
may rely on public transportation or have difficulty taking time off work, among other structural barriers. Increased access to COVID-19 immunizations will support the health and safety of students, families, staff and the community.
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