Mayors of Lloydminster, La Loche address low vaccine uptake
CBC
Mayors in Saskatchewan regions where double-dose COVID-19 vaccine uptake is comparatively low are citing a variety of factors, including young populations waiting for child doses and the belief among some that COVID doesn't exist.
Last week, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, unveiled the provincial government's most detailed breakdown yet of how many people are partially or fully vaccinated in different parts of the province.
The Nov. 16 map divided Saskatchewan into 32 regions, each marked with a different colour indicating the level of two-dose vaccine uptake among its eligible residents.
Some smaller sub-regions — including far northwest 1, which includes the regional hub of La Loche, and northwest 2, which includes the Alberta-Saskatchewan border city of Lloydminster — appeared to be partially in the red zone, suggesting fewer than half of the eligible people in those areas had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Georgina Jolibois, the mayor of La Loche, said leaders in the village have been committed to promoting vaccines from the outset, including getting the shots themselves.
"I have taken the first, second and booster shot, and the flu shot as well," Jolibois said Monday.
While more than 60 per cent of La Loche residents have one dose, "we still have a long way to go" for second doses, she said.
Demographics play a role, she said. Across the province, some of Saskatchewan's younger age groups have lagged behind in getting their does.
La Loche has a high proportion of residents aged 24 and under, Jolibois said. That includes children aged 5 to 11, an age group for whom vaccines will become available for the first time later this week.
For part of this past summer, vaccines for youth aged 12 to 17 were not available in the community, prompting some to travel to Saskatoon to get their shots, she said.
Other residents, including single parents, need help with transportation, "especially now with winter," Jolibois said.
Good translation services are also key, as many residents in La Loche speak the traditional Dene language, she said.
Jolibois accompanied a physician going door to door and translated for her.
"That should be done more," she said of door-to-door visits.
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