BC’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr.Bonnie Henry spoke in Prince George yesterday (Tuesday) to address the low vaccination uptake in Northern Health.
When it comes to local immunization rates, Prince George is following suit with the rest of the region as the community’s rates are also considerably lower than the provincial rate.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, 70% of PG’s 18+ population has received at least one dose, about 8% less than the provincial mark which currently stands at 77.7%.
Meanwhile, 68% of Prince George residents aged 12 and up have received at least one dose, about 5% lower than the provincial mark for that age group.
The rates of uptake change drastically throughout PG, the following numbers account for vaccine uptake of those 12+ across Prince George:
- PG North – 69%
- PG Central – 67%
- PG SW- 76%
- PG SW (Rural) – 60%
- PG North Fraser Rural – 60%
- Valemount/McBride – 74%
- Mackenzie – 66%
However, PG’s uptake for residents aged 18 and up is a little higher than Nechako’s mark, which stands at 62%, and Quesnel’s mark, which stands at 64%.
Dr.Bonnie Henry says these lower vaccination rates in the North might be an accessibility problem, rather than a hesitancy issue.
“We are not seeing wide-spread anti-vaccine sentiment. What we are seeing is there may not be as equal access. We know in the northeast, there is a number of smaller communities that are spread out and rural areas where it’s more challenging for people to get to a vaccination clinic. We have also had challenges with teams and staffing and being able to get everywhere in the north. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
This comes as 65% of Burns Lake’s 18+ population has received at least one jab, that mark dips to 62% for residents 12+.
Overall, vaccine uptake in the Peace River South region is substantially lower than the rest of the province as only 49% of residents 12 and up have received a first dose, a mark that increases just slightly to 52% for residents aged 18+.
In a few Northern communities, vaccination rates are doing considerably well relative to the provincial mark, as the percentage of partially vaccinated residents aged 18+ in Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Haida Gwaii, and Nisga’a is higher than BC’s overall mark.
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