B.C’s health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry released a breakdown of vaccination rates among each profession, based on data gathered from 17 of B.C.’s 18 regulated colleges. The College of Nurses and Midwives was not included because of a high volume of registered workers.
“I hope to see this is reassuring to people and leads to conversations about the importance of getting the vaccination,” Henry said.
The lowest rates are among traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists at 79 percent, chiropractors at 78.1 percent and naturopaths at 69.2 percent.
Henry said the province is still working with the colleges on how to notify patients about their practitioner’s vaccination status.
“We are working with each college on how to build it into professional standards. The overriding principle is patient status,” she told a news conference.
“It may be things like when you call to book, you are asked whether you would prefer to see a vaccinated or unvaccinated professional. We are trying to protect privacy and provide agency to make the decision.”
Back in March, Henry announced she would no longer require all health workers to be vaccinated, except for those in acute and long-term care, but that the colleges would still be able to confidentially collect their vaccination status, and in some cases, provide it to patients so that they can decide whether to book an in-person or virtual appointment.
• Audiologists/hearing instrument practitioners: 91.9%
• Chiropractors: 78.1%
• Dental hygienists: 92.6%
• Dental technicians: 90.7%
• Dentists: 95.9%
• Dental assistants: 92.8%
• Denturists: 92.9%
• Dieticians: 98%
• Massage therapists: 87.9%
• Naturopathic physicians: 69.2%
• Occupational therapists: 96.9%
• Opticians: 94.9%
• Optometrists: 96.0%
• Pharmacists: 96.7%
• Pharmacy technicians: 96.8%
• Physical therapists: 95.2%
• Physicians and surgeons: 98.0%
• Psychologists: 96.1%
• Speech-language pathologists: 92.9%
• Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists: 79.0%
