Alberta’s approach to COVID vaccines in schools is ‘problematic’: law professor

CALGARY — When Alberta schools open this fall, they’ll offer stronger protection against COVID-19 — a vaccine.

But the province won’t allow students under 18 to get the shot unless they have parental permission.

“I think that Alberta’s approach where they don’t recognize the mature minor role, which has been widely recognized in Canadian law for a number of years, is problematic,” said Lorian Hardcastle, who specializes in health law and policy.

The mature minor concept allows youth to make their own medical decisions as long as they are deemed to have the capability to.

Ontario announced it’ll use the mature minor rule in schools — and Saskatchewan already has.

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Alberta Health Services (AHS) also recognizes the concept — but not when it comes to schools.

Instead, it’s opting to follow the process for other school-based immunizations.

“Not only is this creating confusion and inconsistency, but it’s also potentially depriving people who can, and should, be able to make their own medical decisions of obtaining a vaccine to prevent potentially very serious health risks,” Hardcastle said.

Meanwhile, one infectious disease specialist says COVID-19 is not an insignificant contributor to death in children, even as youth show more resilience in fighting off the virus.

“The risk in children of getting admitted to hospital, getting into an ICU and dying of COVID is much lower than in adults, but the vaccine is going to make it much lower than that,” said Dr. Dan Gregson.

Gregson says the clinics in schools will help in cases where busy or disadvantaged parents have found it difficult to access a vaccine.

“And it might help people who are on the fence about immunizing their children when they see other people being immunized at school as well, that may help them make the decision to move ahead and get their child immunized,” he said.

Gregson adds it’s hard to tell how much uptake there will be, as about 54 per cent of Alberta children 12 to 14 are fully vaccinated, and 57 per cent of teens 15 to 19.