More than half-a-million children will be back at school across B.C. on Tuesday — the third year school will be starting during the COVID-19 pandemic, but most protection measures are now gone from schools.
Meanwhile, the vaccination rate among school-aged children remains low. As of Monday, 58 per cent of B.C. five to 11-year-olds have received one shot of the vaccine. About 46 per cent of the same age group have two shots.
Schools are encouraging students to stay home when they are sick — and to get vaccinated.
Parents should also expect to receive more information about the vaccine with schools looking at making it easier to access the vaccine, along with other vaccines, in the schools.
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“We need to start looking at COVID vaccines as no longer being extraordinary but being routine and look at it as something we will be living with,” Dr. Anna Wolak, family physician and clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the University of British Columbia.
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The B.C. Teachers Federation is calling for better ventilation systems in schools and access to N95 masks for anyone who wants one, especially since vaccination rates remain low.
“We were hoping those numbers went up in the summer,” union president Clint Johnston said. “Whenever you are in a room with that many unvaccinated people it is concerning. That is why we are pushing for the extra protections we are.”
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