The COVID vaccination divide: More than four times as many youth protected in some Hamilton neighbourhoods
The COVID-19 vaccination divide between Hamilton neighbourhoods is vast with more than four times as many youth boosted in the west part of the city compared to the east.
Even in the most vaccinated neighbourhood, just under 26 per cent of kids age 12 to 15 had three shots as of May 8 in the forward sortation area (FSA) L8P, which stretches from James Street South to Highway 403 and from King Street West to the escarpment.
It compared to a low of nearly six per cent in L8H, which runs roughly from Ottawa Street North to Nash Road North and from Queenston Road to Lake Ontario.
The gap was even greater for teens age 16 to 17, with 45 per cent boosted in the L8S west Hamilton neighbourhoods of Westdale and Ainslie Wood.
That is more than six times as many as the seven per cent with three doses in L8H, shows data from Ontario research institute ICES.
COVID-19 was never an equal opportunity virus," said Dr. Amit Arya, assistant clinical professor in the department of family medicine at McMaster University. The entire pandemic is driven by socioeconomic issues."
Other FSAs with more than 20 per cent of kids age 12 to 15 boosted were in more affluent areas in Dundas (L9H), Ancaster (L9G) and west Hamilton (L8S).
The FSAs with fewer than eight per cent of youth with three shots include L8L and L8R which run from Ottawa Street North to Highway 403 and from King Street to Lake Ontario. Also in this group is L8E in lower Stoney Creek. When L8H is added in, it sweeps across almost the entire north side of the lower city.
The way out of the pandemic or the way to control the pandemic is by addressing the social inequities," said Arya.
The gap is significant because three doses is required to best protect against severe illness from Omicron and its sub variants.
Time is running out on a program meant to help bridge the divide as public health has only four more months of funding for its nine vaccine ambassadors.
The community outreach program launched in spring 2021 and got $994,393 in provincial funds doled out by the city's Emergency Operations Centre. The money runs out at the end of September when the program is scheduled to wind down. Youth are a key priority of the outreach.
The ambassadors have been working hard to reach priority populations who face additional barriers to vaccination," Jennifer Vickers-Manzin, director and chief nursing officer of the Healthy Families Division, said in a statement. This includes a focus on youth and their families, to build trust, help bridge gaps in vaccine information, remove barriers to access, increase vaccine confidence, and ultimately increase uptake in areas of the city or among populations that are particularly vulnerable."
Their work has included identifying more easily accessible sites for clinics, leading outreach efforts at community and cultural events, providing information sessions to newcomer families and accompanying those who face language or other barriers to get vaccinated. Collectively, they speak 17 languages. While it's hard to quantify the results of their work, they helped 535 Hamiltonians book appointments during the Omicron wave alone, which represents a fraction of the immunizations they would have helped foster.
The vaccine ambassadors have made significant strides and played a vital role in increasing COVID-19 immunization rates across Hamilton," said Vickers-Manzin. We're making a concerted effort so that everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine can continue to access a vaccine in a location that is convenient for them and that barriers are removed."
Despite this work, the rollout has been stalled for weeks with just 58 per cent of Hamilton adults boosted as of June 1 and 16 per cent of youth age 12 to 17.
That's definitely something that's very concerning and I think it's once again come from this rhetoric that COVID-19 is over or it's not dangerous now ... and none of this is actually based on any science or fact," said Arya. We're definitely not out of the woods yet. We know that any new variant of Omicron or even a brand new variant altogether could completely change the situation ... This is still important to prepare for any future waves."
So far, public health is not looking to extend the funding for the vaccine ambassadors.
I don't think we should wind down any funding for vaccination," said Arya. I think it's far too early at this point in time ... Now is actually the time to plan for the fall or any future wave."
Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com