Based on strong hints from public health officials and pharmaceutical companies, the next chapter of Canada's mass COVID-19 vaccine story appears poised to involve inoculating younger children - and one-in-two parents of younger children are ready to jab their kids right away.
This, according to the latest data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute. But while half of parents say they plan to vaccinate their elementary school-aged children as soon as a vaccine is available to them, nearly one-quarter - fully 23 per cent - say they will not.
The responses come amid speculation that kids aged 5-11 will be soon eligible for COVID-19 inoculation. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer recently submitted data suggesting its vaccine is safe for that age group. And as COVID-19 cases increase in schools, some jurisdictions have begun planning for approval, with British Columbia allowing parents to register kids for their first jab in the event such approval is granted.
As with vaccination rates for the adult population, regional divisions are evident. While approximately 15 per cent of those with children aged 5-11 living in British Columbia, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada would not vaccinate their kids, the number doubles in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec, to closer to 30 per cent.
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