The rate of vaccination against COVID-19 is stagnating among young people in primary school; in some schools in Montreal and Laval, it does not exceed 30%. “It’s not enough,” said the director of public health in Laval, who is giving himself until spring break to carry out a new offensive in schools.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
If, in Quebec as a whole, nearly 60% of children received a first dose of vaccine against COVID-19, it is in Laval that this rate is the lowest, at 40%. By way of comparison, the proportion of children who received a first injection is 70% in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
During the school holidays, COVID-19 hit “very, very hard”, says the director of public health at the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) in Laval, Dr.r Jean-Pierre Trépanier.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Dr Jean-Pierre Trépanier, Director of Public Health at the Laval Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS)
“It probably stopped the vaccination momentum in that age group. The promotion for the booster dose for other age groups has arrived, so we have put aside a bit [la vaccination des 5-11 ans] “, admits the Dr Trepanier.
“We have to come back to the charge,” he adds.
As was done before Christmas, all primary schools in Laval will be visited again from January 31.
“Scientifically, it has always been established that going to vaccinate children on site gives better results. If we did not vaccinate in the schools in Laval, I think that we would have even worse results than those we have now, ”said Dr.r Trepanier.
The presence of vaccinators in schools can have an effect of emulation and, without “putting the children in competition with each other, the parents talk to each other”, observes the director of public health of Laval.
“Simple, but legitimate” questions
Schools have been full again for a few days and the low vaccination rate in some of them is a cause for concern.
Parents have “simple, but legitimate” questions about vaccination against COVID-19, observes pediatrician Olivier Drouin, also a researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine.
The first step is to explain [aux parents] clearly that vaccination is useful, safe and recommended.
Olivier Drouin, pediatrician and researcher
“In my clinical experience, just saying these things to my patients helps. There are many patients who were not vaccinated, and that convinced them, ”says Dr.r Drouin, who believes that nurses and doctors should take advantage of “every clinical encounter” to address the issue of vaccination.
We must also remember all the consequences that COVID-19 can cause in a family, such as absenteeism at work, quarantine. “It is worth talking about the other benefits of vaccination. It will convince some people more than a very low risk of hospitalization, ”explains Dr.r Drouin.
“Very worrying” rates
President of the West Montreal Education Union, Mélanie Hubert finds that the low vaccination rate in some schools is “very worrying”. These establishments are often located “in areas where there are communities that speak less French and do not master all the workings of the system, […] where people live in small accommodation,” she continues.
The Alliance of Teachers of Montreal is concerned about the inequalities that could further increase in Montreal neighborhoods where the vaccination rate for children is low and where outbreaks could occur.
“It is in these neighborhoods that we risk arriving most quickly at the load shedding plan. Our students in difficulty, in disadvantaged areas, in allophone areas will still pay more, ”says its president, Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre.
In Laval, we recognize that we have “something to do in terms of promoting” vaccination among 5 to 11 year olds.
“We have groups that are more difficult to join”, in particular because of the language barrier, says the Dr Jean-Pierre Trépanier, director of public health. Calls will be made to parents whose children are not vaccinated, to “understand the reasons for the hesitation”.
We “have to adapt the message” for these populations, says the Dr Olivier Drouin. This goes for the language, but also for the messenger, who must be someone you trust, for example community or religious leaders.
In Laval, it is said that we have learned over the months that a “large pool” of people will have to be reached on the ground, but that the sanitary measures are complicating things a little at the moment.
“Our deadline for schools is spring break. Afterwards, spring will arrive, and we will have to deploy other means to get closer to young people and their parents, ”says the Dr Trepanier.