COVID-19 vaccine policies hampered by lack of demographic data, advocates warn

Without good information from the provinces, certain groups may be left vulnerable to the virus and disproportionately punished by vaccine mandates.

A dearth of data about who is getting COVID-19 vaccines and who is not could be causing people of certain races or socio-economic backgrounds to fall through the cracks, according to several concerned advocates.

Without good information from the provinces, certain groups may be left vulnerable to the virus and disproportionately punished by vaccine mandates.

Research has indicated significantly less uptake in COVID-19 vaccines among racialized Canadians – particularly those who are Black – said Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of policy think tank Wellesley Institute.

“But nobody’s really doing anything about this because if you are not counted, you do not count. It’s as simple as that,” said McKenzie, who has advised the government on testing and screening for COVID-19 during the pandemic.

“If you don’t look, you can’t find and if you don’t have the data, then it’s a problem.”

As of Oct. 30, about 84 per cent of eligible Canadians have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, but provincial governments and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) have not collected detailed information about people as they received their shots.

McKenzie says without accurate data, it’s difficult to know precisely who those other 16 per cent of people are and how to develop strategies to support them and win their trust.

“It’s difficult for it not to feel like equity was not a priority,” he said.