Two-thirds of Toronto parents ‘certain or somewhat likely’ to get young kids vaccinated against COVID-19, survey says
Parents who had children in the past three weeks in the city are “more likely” to get their kids immunized against the coronavirus, according to a new survey by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
The survey, which garnered about 10,000 responses (50 per cent of whom were parents), revealed that 60 per cent of parents surveyed were “certain or somewhat likely” to get their children immunized.
The findings were unveiled at a news conference with Dr. Eileen de Villa, chief medical health officer for PHAC, who said the agency will be providing medical support to both parents and children.
“The PHAC recommends getting children vaccinated against whooping cough, tetanus and pertussis, both as a routine and in the case of an emergency,” said de Villa.
The agency also released information on the government’s coronavirus vaccine-development and response plan, which includes plans to offer vaccine grants to researchers through the Health Research Program of Industry Canada.
“When we began taking a broad look at what was being done … to date, it showed that parents are extremely interested in immunizations that protect them,” said de Villa. “We have a tremendous amount in front of us. With that in mind, we want to put the resources together to maximize, and we do want to have a system.”
Public health officials have said that there are few other ways to prevent the spread of infection and to ensure the health of Canadians. De Villa said a lot of the work has to be done by parents, who are looking out for their families.
“That’s the kind of thing I’m hearing from parents, that, ‘If I would have known, I would not have let (my child) get those vaccines,’” she said.
But while about half the parents surveyed said they were “certain or somewhat likely” to get immunized, a third – 35 per cent – said they would not get their children vaccinated, which de Villa said is “less alarming” than it sounds.
“We want to make sure that people have the knowledge so they can make