Two-thirds of Toronto parents ‘certain or somewhat likely’ to get young kids vaccinated against COVID-19, survey says
Toronto, Ont. — The percentage of Toronto parents who are “certain or somewhat likely” to get their children vaccinated against the coronavirus has increased from 64 per cent in January to more than a third of parents in March, according to a survey by the Centre for Vaccinating against Influenza (CVI) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
In a detailed survey of parents of young children, the CVI says more than 2,000 people participated across the province. More than half of respondents were women aged 30-49 who live in Toronto; of those, 65 per cent indicated they were certain or somewhat likely to get their kids vaccinated, up from 56 per cent in January.
“Parents are understandably hesitant to ask their children to get vaccinated,” said Rachel Smith, a research lead on the survey’s data team. “Parents are not vaccinating their kids because they are scared about vaccines, but because they believe they are safe — and the COVID-19 vaccine looks just as safe as other vaccines.”
The survey also asked respondents for their own personal reasons for wanting to vaccinate young children against the COVID-19 infection.
The top reasons included: “protecting children from getting COVID-19 and other diseases,” “dealing with children with allergies,” “not vaccinating my children to protect them from other diseases,” and “protecting my family’s future.”
“There are two things parents can do to protect their children from COVID-19: vaccinate your children and be proactive in preventing spread of the virus,” Smith said.
On April 6, the federal government is expected to unveil its $420-million plan to extend the vaccine in schools.
CVI is part of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Influenza Research Network.
Toronto, Ont. — The Ontario government is providing financial support