Naturopaths, chiropractors have lowest vaccination rates in B.C., officials say | Globalnews.ca

After months of figuring out how to gather the data, B.C. has announced that 93.9 per cent of regulated health-care workers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 25.

On Tuesday, provincial 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 seeing this is reassuring to people and leads to conversations about the importance of getting the vaccination,” Henry said.

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Dieticians, physicians and surgeons lead the way, with vaccination rates of 98 per cent, followed by occupational therapists at 97 per cent.

The lowest rates are among traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists at 79 per cent, chiropractors at 78.1 per cent and naturopaths at 69.2 per cent.

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 in to 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.

Full list of vaccination rates by regulated profession:

• 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%