Vaccination rates slow down in New Brunswick as COVID-19 cases remain high
CBC
University of New Brunswick University student Kalevi Karhi has both of his COVID-19 vaccines, along with his booster shot.
"I didn't really do it for myself, it's just really for like other people that it could compromise if they get it because I'm not really worried about it. I wouldn't probably be compromised as much if I got it but I'm just doing it for other people. I just want to get back to normal as much as possible." he said.
Fellow student William Boyle got his booster shot a few months ago, and says he wants to be prepared in case he catches COVID-19.
"If I do get it I want to make sure I'm safe and I keep myself protected but also for the community as a whole. I think my friend said it well, we're not just protecting ourselves but we're protecting people who would be, like, immunocompromised or susceptible to COVID-19. So, preventing the spread, but also for personal reasons," he said.
Karhi and Boyle may be fully vaccinated, but many young people in New Brunswick are not.
Overall demand for COVID-19 vaccines has slowed down.
According to the latest figures released from Public Health, just 51 per cent of those eligible have received their booster shot. It lags far behind Nova Scotia, which has 63.4 per cent of the eligible population with boosters as of March 22.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard told reporters outside the legislature Wednesday, she's not sure why vaccine rates are stalling.
"I don't think it's because we dropped all the rules. I think it's because...I guess there's a complacency. I can't think of any other way to explain it because we have made it very clear that vaccination is the very best tool to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, ICU admission and death, those numbers have proven out all through this pandemic," Shephard said.
"I can't speak for everybody. I just know that the numbers have slowed down considerably, in particular for 49 and under and we need them to get boosted to protect themselves."
Pharmacists are also seeing a decline in the demand for vaccinations.
Jake Reid, the executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association, says demand started to drop off in the early part of the year, even though there are still a few hundred people visiting pharmacies daily for shots, .
"What we're hearing is what we're calling vaccine fatigue which is really just a subset of pandemic fatigue and that is that people are a little tired, they may not think it's as necessary," Reid said.
"They're hearing that people are getting COVID but maybe not getting as sick and so they're just considering not getting their booster and that can be a mistake for sure."
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