Photo Supplied By NWHU
Lower COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates in some parts of the region are being looked at by the Northwestern Health Unit.
As of Tuesday May 25, the Dryden Health Hub led the way with 64.3% of those over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of the vaccine and the lowest being the Emo Hub at 38.9% (As of May 25).
The region’s top doctor says while it’s hard to pin point exactly why this is, it could be partly due to misinformation about the vaccine circulating online and social media.
“The vaccines that are being administered are safe vaccines,” said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kit Young Hoon. “They have gone through a rigorous research process and then evaluation process by both Health Canada and then the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations.”
The NWHU offers two COVID-19 vaccines at their clinics.
“The Moderna and Pfizer both have good effectiveness levels, greater than 90 percent and they’re shown to be safe. The side effects that one may experience generally are symptoms that go away quickly. Any serious side effects which is mainly an allergic reaction is treatable with in the clinic, we monitor for it, we know what to do and they are very uncommon.”
Dr. Young Hoon adds they’re working with area communities to address any barriers or hesitancy.
“I think other key things would be to engage with community leadership and encouraging them to think about promoting vaccinations and the importance of getting vaccinated. At this point, we are assessing the situation and doing information gathering, in addition to pushing out our messaging about the safety of the vaccines.”
Vaccination rates play a key role in terms of the province’s re-opening plan in lifting public health restrictions and Dr. Young Hoon says something you can do is keep the conversation open.
“Addressing vaccine hesitancy is generally challenging. People often listen to someone that they know and trust, so we do encourage individuals to reach out to friends and family and explain to them why you chose to get vaccinated and where they can go to get reliable information about the vaccine.”
You can find more information about the COVID-19 vaccines on the health unit’s website.
Overall 57.1% of the NWHU catchment area aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 45,882 doses have been administered. (As of May 25)
