Most vaccinated Canadians will not take a booster shot, a new poll finds.
An Angus Reid Institute survey on vaccination conducted between July 13 and 15, 2022 found that there’s hesitancy towards booster shots and their effectiveness among some Canadians, including those who have been vaccinated with one or two doses.
The news comes amid legacy media reports of a seventh wave of Covid fuelled by the BA.5 Omicron subvariant and some provinces including Ontario and Alberta opening up fourth vaccine doses to the general population.
Fifty-seven percent of Canadians surveyed by Angus Reid who received either one or two doses of a Covid vaccine said they won’t take a booster, while 93% of quadruple vaccinated Canadians said they will get a fifth dose of the vaccine as soon as they are eligible.
The poll also asked people if they would take a Covid booster every year if public health officials recommend it.
64% of those who have received one or two shots said they are not willing to get a booster every year, while only 24% said they would opt for an annual Covid shot.
Meanwhile, 95% of those with four vaccine doses indicated they are willing to get an annual booster for as long as it is recommended by public health agencies.
As for vaccine effectiveness, only 26% of vaccinated Canadians believe being up-to-date with Covid-19 vaccines is effective at preventing transmission, while 45% believe it is not at all effective.
It should be noted that an Abacus Data poll had previously found that vaccinated Canadians were more worried about Covid than those who had opted not to take the vaccine.
Booster uptake in parts of the country has been low, with federal government data from June 19, 2022 showing that less than half of the people in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon have received a third vaccine shot.
Age-wise, Angus Reid said that only one third of Canadians aged 18-29 had received the booster. Government data also shows a greater uptake in females compared to males for most age groups.
The Trudeau government recently announced it would be transitioning to a new definition of “fully vaccinated”, that is based on an “up to date” vaccine regimen. It also suggested that Canadians will need to get a Covid shot every nine months.
“The virus evolves and Omicron made us aware we will never be fully vaccinated against COVID-19″ said federal health minister Jean Yves Duclos, adding that “we have to maintain our vaccinations up to date.”
The feds have also said that future vaccine mandates would rely on an updated definition of “fully vaccinated.”
