Alberta considers incentives to help boost vaccination rates and the province's reopening plan
As the province continues the push to reach the 70 per cent mark of Albertans with their first COVID-19 vaccination dose, ideas around incentives are beginning to take shape.
On Friday, Alberta reported 67.8 per cent of the population aged 12 and over had received at least one dose.
At a media availability, Premier Jason Kenney said the province was "so close" to reaching the 70 per cent threshold needed to move toward Step 3 of the reopening plan.
- Alberta reports 170 new COVID-19 cases as hospitalizations continue to drop
- 'Welcome to Stage 2, Alberta': Province moves ahead in reopening plan, 2nd dose delivery ramped up
A part of the plan to help drive vaccination rates to meet that threshold and beyond could be vaccine incentives, the premier said.
“I know that when Ohio led the pack on this about three, four weeks back, there was a lot of ridicule towards them, but they saw an immediate and huge uptick in vaccination rates,” Kenney said on Thursday.
One expert also agrees that incentives may work, if done properly, to encourage people to get the jab.
“You want to make sure you’re incentivizing the right message," said Tim Caulfield, professor and health policy expert at the University of Alberta.
"You want to make sure you’re not sending the message that ‘we’re paying you to do this to get the vaccine."
Many businesses in Alberta have already created incentives of their own, from free food and beverages to free tuition, for those who have received their COVID-19 immunization.
- At some local businesses, your COVID-19 shot can get you more than just immunity
- Beers, burgers, books and bucks: Alberta businesses offer rewards for a COVID-19 shot
- Vaccinated University of Lethbridge students could win free tuition
- 'No stone unturned': Alta. considering every option to ensure as many get vaccinated for COVID-19 as possible
Caulfield says that there’s some evidence from the United States to show that incentives work when it comes to encouraging people to get vaccinated, especially with those individuals that are complacent.
“Those individuals that might be somewhat hesitant, this might change the calculus for them,” said Caulfield. “For those individuals that are hardcore deniers, it’s probably not going to have an impact.”
Caulfield says there’s evidence to suggest that misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccination could be having an impact on uptake.
“I think It’s important to emphasize the degree to which this is crunch time,” said Caulfield. “The degree to which we have to think about every single barrier that might be stopping people from getting vaccinated.”
Government officials are planning to announce details about the province’s vaccine incentives next week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.