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By Tiffany Goodwein

Teenage vaccination rate over double provincial average in Medicine Hat

May 18, 2021 | 6:25 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Outside Higdon Hall comes the Timmons family who just received their vaccines. For teenagers Keely and Dacey Timmons, the decision to get vaccinated was an easy one, in a year riddled with online schooling, and the cancellation of extracurricular sports, like hockey.

“Summer is coming up in a month or so and I kind of just want to get out, hang with friends and not have to be cooped up in the house all day,” said 15-year-old Keely.

“I just want to get things going again, have sports open up for the summer, and Stampede and stuff like that,” 17-year-old Dacey said.

Keely and Dacey aren’t the only teens who have decided to get vaccinated. Twelve-year-old Oscar Beck also made the choice. He said he wanted to get the vaccine to protect the people around him. He’s also hopeful it will make hanging out with friends easier.

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“If you get the vaccine you are less likely to get COVID-19, and get sick,” he said.

Suzanne Malmberg has two teenage children, a son, and a daughter. She said her son wanted to get vaccinated due to his plans to join the military come graduation. Her daughter has also been eager to get the vaccine, ever since Malmberg got her doses months ago as a healthcare worker.

“They want their lives back. They miss their activities, my daughter is involved in dance, in cadets, she plays the guitar. School online has been very difficult. It’s been horrible for parents and it has been horrible for the kids,” she said.

In fact, many teens across the city have been eager to get immunized. Vaccination rates for people 12 to 19 in Medicine Hat are more than double the provincial average. In Medicine Hat, 39 per cent of people ages 12-19 are vaccinated. The provincial average is just 16 per cent.

Greg Bueckert, owner of Greg’s Remedy’s Rx said his pharmacy has witnessed a high turnout of young people, ever since the province opened eligibility last week. He said of all the people that get vaccinated every day, roughly half are young people and their families.

“It’s quite surprising and quite encouraging,” he said.

Bueckert said Medicine Hat’s higher-than-average vaccination rate could be due to a number of factors. A ticket to normalcy is one, but access could also factor in.

“AHS has done a good job at Higdon Hall. Local pharmacies are doing vaccinations and there is one in every geographic area of the city so, good coverage, good turnout,” he said.

Back at Higdon Hall, for mom Chantel Timmons, she’s excited about the future, as she leaves with new hope.

“I hope that by doing this, it’s worth something. That we can say we protected ourselves, our family, our elderly, and I hope that we can move forward and put the pandemic behind us and just live life,” she said.